Resident Evil: Redfield Reborn
by Coalescent Tidings
Summary: Takes place after Resident Evil 4. Claire Redfield is keeping herself busy by finding and infiltrating old Umbrella labs and offices that managed to survive despite falling after the Raccoon City Incident. One of these trips leaves Claire at a loss. Let's see how this plays out for the Anti-Umbrella team.
1. Captured

_Bang! Bang! Bang!_ The shots rang out as the redhead skillfully maneuvered around the cubicles in this unfamiliar area. Claire Redfield was dashing though each room with guards hot on her trail. This was the second Umbrella base that she infiltrated this month. After returning from Spain, Leon had received some intel about bio-organic research that had been going on, unaware that it was Umbrella.

"Claire! What the hell is going on in there?!" Her brother's familiar voice rang through her earpiece.

"Just…some guards, Calm down," she replied as she turned the corner and was faced by multiple corridors.

Upon hearing the running steps behind her, she hastily went left and ran until she reached a door. ' _A. Hastings PhD. Bio-organics'_ read the door plague. Claire smirked at the convenience taking the left corridor had given. She quickly picked the lock and made her way inside. She crouched by door and heard the guards run past the door. Quickly and quietly she began searching the desk and filing cabinets. She found many reports with the Umbrella and 'classified' seal on the front. Claire stuffed her backpack with anything that seemed important. She then turned on the computer but was welcomed with a security screen.

"Fuck. Chris, get Rebecca on the line." Claire ordered through the earpiece.

"Claire, get your ass back here before they find you."

"Chris. Listen to me. I may have found something worthwhile. Now get Rebe-"

She never finished her sentence. The office door flew open and suddenly she was surrounded by armed guards pointing sub-machine guns straight at her.

"Well fuck. You guys are good." She stared straight into the guards in front of her.

The man then swung the butt of his gun and it landed to the side of Claire's temple.

"Take her underground. And someone remove that damn earpiece." The rough hoarse voice was the last thing she heard before she slipped into unconsciousness.


	2. Retrieving Data

The last thing Chris heard was the voice of a man telling someone to take the earpiece off of what he assumed was Claire's unconscious body.

"You have got to be freaking kidding me, Claire!" Chris lets out an exasperated breath.

He then quickly checked his phone and saw that the earpiece that Claire was wearing still on and releasing signals. It started moving at rather quick pace. Then, it started to leave the area in which Chris was looking at directly at. As if on cue, he noticed a black SUV speed out of the back of the giant warehouse. Chris seemed a little amused. _Black,_ he thought. _Why always black?_ With that, he put the car in drive, stepped on the gas, and followed his sister's captors into the dark night.

* * *

A sharp turn to the left sent Claire's body flying into the back of the front seat, immediately waking her up. Her head ached as she tried to push her face up off the shoulder of the passenger. She somehow managed to put herself in a leaning position against the seat, as her hand were cuffed behind her back.

"You assholes should at least have the decency to tie me into the fucking seat after you knocked me out!" she said as groggily and as harsh as she could possibly say in her condition.

The soldiers simply gave her a look that was supposed to scare her but had no effect on her as she was distracted by a subtle light shining from the guard's pocket. It was, Claire noticed, her earpiece. She stifled a laugh as she knew Chris must be hot on their trail. With that she relaxed and managed to pull her seatbelt together. From her seat, she noticed a car gaining on them.

"Well since you idiots may have noticed there is a car following us and you may as well know it is my dear brother coming to my rescue. Next time you may want to make sure your little buddies turn off any devices that can be tracked." She said confidently to the man who was in obvious charge.

His head whipped to the side and stared at the man who took the earpiece out of his pocket and shamefully turned it off. Angrily he took out his gun and shot his failed employee in the head. Claire was stunned as the man's limp body fell against hers. That had been a bit brutal, even for one of Umbrella's hench men. Claire managed to see the big man's nametag as he turned his attention to her. _Rodgers_ it read. Rodgers then turned his gun on Claire. Before he shot, a car slammed into them from behind causing the bullet to shatter the window. Claire managed to use this distraction as a way to free the knife from the dead soldier's body and got her hands free. She tried to get to the door but was stopped by an enormous hand grabbing her shirt collar and throwing her back into the seat. The car was constantly taking turns making it difficult to get to the door. Shots were constantly ringing out to and fro. It took all the strength Claire had to grab the handle and shove it open. Air now whipped her hair around, blocking her vision. She managed to see something in the corner before she tried to jump out. It was her backpack. She grabbed it and stuck her head out waving to Chris to get closer. The car pulled up to the side and Claire attempted to jump out onto it. Yet again she was tossed back. This time however, someone landed on top of her, squeezing the breath out of her lungs. It was Rodgers. She kicked and punched the man but made no obvious damage to the man's large frame. Without thinking, she grabbed the gun out of his holster and aimed at him. That was enough to get his attention.

"Back off! Now! Or I'll blow your brains out!" He then backed up a little when suddenly he was hot in the arm and kicked out of the car that was going 80 mph. With some luck, Claire managed to jump from the SUV, to the car Chris was driving, without any difficulty. She landed on the roof and slide her way in through the window.

"That was too freaking close." She sighed as she strapped herself in.

"Claire."

"Yes dear brother?"

"What the fuck were thinking!? I told you to get out of there!"

"Hey! I got some info, so take a Midol and keep a look out for any suspicious cars." Claire said as she leaned into the seat and closed her eyes.

"The hell do you think you're doing?" he said with a smirk.

"Taking a nap, genius. Wake me when we get home."

With that she fell asleep until they got to their destination.

Eight hours later, Claire was fully awake and had looked through the gathered information at least three times. She was accompanied by Jill, Leon, Chris, and Rebecca. The five managed to stick together even though most of them had been living in entirely different locations.

"You think this stuff is of any use to us? I mean it's just a bunch of information on the T-Veronica virus. Stuff we already know.", inquired Jill.

"It has to be relevant to something big. Look at the dates. They're recent. No reason to be listed as recent unless they started looking into it again.", responded Claire.

She let out a sigh and turned to Leon. He had been staring at her ever since they told them of what had happened at the Umbrella base. He looked away as he noticed her returning her gaze towards him.

He blushed and turned away, shrugging his shoulders in defeat. Chris on the other hand, who had been watching Leon the entire time and didn't like it stated,

"What about the names of the researchers? They seem to be different. Not to mention the references. They all seem to be other pharmaceutical companies."

They were getting nowhere and decided that they would each run their errands and tasks separately and contact each other if they received any information. They gave each other hugs and kisses goodbye as they each went their separate ways once again.

"Claire." It was Jill. Claire turned her head and waited for whatever was coming next. "Keep your eyes peeled and stay alert for the next few days. Umbrella doesn't take these things lightly."

Claire nodded, knowing more than well that it was true.

* * *

"Targets located, sir." Sargent Rodgers spoke softly into his earpiece as he watched the group of people through the window. He'd been watching them for hours as they poured over the notes the redheaded had stolen.

"Good. Get those notes back. No matter the cost. We can't have them figuring out the next step in the project." The dark voice replied through the earpiece. The voice belonged to the one and only Albert Wesker. How Rodgers ended up working for Umbrella, he was still unsure. All he was sure was that he hated Chris Redfield's guts. His brother was killed in one of the raids that Chris Redfield was in charge of. Since then, helping Umbrella seemed the right thing to do. As he skillfully maneuvered the trees, a sharp pain seized his right arm. It was sore from being shot by the girl. He had no idea who she was, but at the mention of her description, Wesker seemed interested in this character.

"Most of the people are clearing out. One stayed behind." He reported.

"Hmph. Which one of decided to stay?"

"The bitch that shot me."

"Well then. This could be used to our advantage. How would you like to get some, well deserved revenge?"

"It would be my pleasure."

"Good. Here are your instructions."

As soon as everyone cleared out, Claire entered the bathroom and prepared to take a shower. Upon entering the bathroom, she left the room door ajar, and left her customized Smith & Wesson on the counter. It had been engraved with her initials and the words _Let Me Live_ on the side _._ A gift from Leon for her birthday. Upon exiting the shower, she took in recognition that the door was now closed. _Fuck._ Pretending she didn't noticed she grabbed her towel, wrapped it around her torso, and then quickly reached out for her gun. Before grabbing her gun, a fist connected to her nose sending her back first into the cold, tiled floor.

"Move and I'll blow your brains out. Sound familiar?"

Looking up and she found herself staring at the sergeant's gun.

"For fuck's sake! Ever thought of signing up for the Search and Rescue?" she stated as she held her now bleeding nose.

"Cute. Now get your ass up and into the room. NOW!" He tossed her some clothes and stuck the gun at her back.

Claire had very few options at this point. She started putting her clothes on, keeping one eye on Rodgers. At least he didn't stare as she put them on. She tried to leave as much blood everywhere she could, to leave some type of sign for Chris or Leon, who would soon see something was wrong.

"Done. Now what?" she questioned him as he reached for her arm. She stepped back nervously and questioned his motives. He then took out his gun and shot several bullets into the walls. Then he lastly turned to her and shot her right arm.

"Aghhhh! Motherfucker!" she screamed painfully.

"Payback bitch."

He then cuffed her, grabbed her shot arm forcefully and shoved her out to the front of door. She tried to fight her way out of his grip but failed as her strength was compromised. Noticing all the research paper was gone from the table, she ultimately regretted leaving it a strew. She was then shoved into yet another black car.

"Target acquired, sir. I have the papers as well. We're returning to the base next as we speak."


	3. Wesker

_Hey this is Claire! I'm obviously busy or ignoring you so leave a message after the beep.*beep*_

"Claire. This is the fifth message I leave you so please call me back or call Jill or Leon. Please. I'm worried about you." Chris' frantic voice spoke leaving the message. No one had made contact with her since they each departed. Chris was now worried and decided to give the rest of the crew a call. First he called a Leon knowing that he probably had gone to check security cameras or even the place himself. Before he _'dial,'_ Leon's face appeared on screen.

Leon's voice filled the speaker that was pressed to Chris' ear, "Chris! She isn't here. There are blood and bullet holes everywhere! The notes-" Leon's voice seemed to fade away as Chris soaked up the information. _Shit! I knew I shouldn't have left her there alone!_

"Okay thanks Leon." Chris cut Leon short.

"Wait. What's the plan?"

"I'M going back to the warehouse. I need you, Jill, and Rebecca to keep an eye and ear out for anything of use. And get Rebecca to research the pharmaceutical companies that were listed. Go to go. Talk to use later."

"Chris-" The call had ended. Time to go back to the warehouse.

* * *

Sergeant Rodgers was on his way back to warehouse with the girl. He still had no name for her, but he thought 'Bitch' was a good one. She was at his side with a blindfold on. He couldn't risk her knowing their location, as it was a different one from where they first met.

"Is this really necessary? I mean I've been here before." Claire's attempts of figuring out where she was going, had gotten nowhere.

"Would you rather have been knocked out again?" Rodgers replied in annoyance as he clearly disliked the redhead. With that the car jolted to a stop. Claire felt his presence leave her for a second then was welcomed with fresh, cool air surrounding her. Panic clouded her thoughts. Sure they wouldn't dispose of her so soon without any type of interrogation. Then again, he had disposed his colleague in a matter of seconds in the SUV earlier. Then, some beeping started. The sound of a door sliding open reached Claire's ears and then a certain scent reached her nose. It was a mixture of many different chemicals. The same smell one would find in a laboratory.

 _Fuck. Fuck. Fuck! You've got to be kidding me!_ A million thoughts ran through her mind. Torture was the first one. The second was infection. Third one was torture with infection. She needed a way to escape, and she needed in one fast. The strong arm of the sergeant dragged her into the lab and away from everything she knew.

* * *

"They're here.", the young woman dressed in office attire informed the blonde man staring at a wall of computer screens.

"Okay. Tell Sergeant Rodgers to stuff her in the one of the exam rooms, and keep guards outside." Albert Wesker watched from the security cameras. _Well. Well. Well. Claire Redfield, it was about time we saw each other again._ He made his way off his chair and to the exam room.

* * *

Claire was now staring at a white tiled room that had nothing in it but a metallic exam table bolted to the floor and a mirror built in to the wall. _Two way_ she thought. She hated the idea of being watched. Then she heard the door squeak. She looked up was staring at the last person she'd want to see here. _Wesker!_ Claire spoke first.

"Hmph. And to think my day couldn't get any worse."

With that Wesker ran up and threw Claire towards the mirror, immediately leaving cracks in it. He then grabbed her by the chin and pushed her up against the wall.

"I'm in no mood for your little sarcastic comments, Miss Redfield. Now you're going to tell me exactly what you and your little nosy friends know from the research you idiotically stole from the Umbrella base. Got it?" Wesker, now increasing the strength on her chin, stared her straight the eye, his red ones out in attempt of intimidation.

"Redfield?" A voice neither belonging to Claire nor Wesker rung out from the entrance of the room. Rodgers.

"You're related to Chris Redfield?" His eyes were shining with a mixture of hate and disbelief.

"Surprise." Claire barely managed to slip those words out of her lips as Wesker's hands were still around her chin.

"Ah. Yes. This is Chris' sister. I'll leave you two to get acquainted. Oh and Claire, yell when you're ready to talk."

"Well, this is a chance to get some type of payback." He stared at her. She obviously didn't know about his brother but still, to him, he would gladly help make Chris feel the loss he had felt. With that last thought, he swung his arm and it landed straight under her jaw. She doubled over the metallic table and waited for whatever was next.


	4. Run for dear life

The air around him smelled of rain and the wind was cold. Chris Redfield had just parked the car a mile south of his destination. He had just begun walking towards the grey warehouse. He decided he would try his luck around the back. He had to scale a fence in order to get into the main perimeters. He silently made his way past some inattentive guards but stopped suddenly at the mention of 'some prisoner'.

"Hahaha Yeah same chick from the breach two days ago" one guard said.

"So bitch was caught. Bet the sergeant was happy bout' that."

"Oh he was happy alright. Had her transferred to the laboratory up in Richmond."

Damn. Richmond? Why so far?

"Apparently sergeant had nothing to do with that. It was all that blonde guy's idea. What's his name? You know. Rhymes with wiskers."

"Ahhhhh…Wesker. That freak with the red eyes. I'd rather be in sergeant's hands than his."

Chris stopped listening. All he knew now was that Wesker was back and he had Claire. Torment filled his chest. He had to contact the group to make sure they get there in time before Wesker did anything to her. But first, he decided to finish Claire's endeavor that was cut short.

* * *

Only a few minutes had passed but the beating continued. Claire had decided to fight back on a few occasions but found her arm's condition wasn't making it easier. After he left, Rodgers had returned with a nurse to fix any major wounds Claire had obtained. Then, they simply left.

Claire had been sitting on the metallic table when suddenly alarms rung out through the room the hallway. Suddenly, the door busted open and Sergeant Rodgers was hauling Claire to her feet and out the door with his gun in hand. The alarms were loud and scientists were running around everywhere, along with soldiers. Another outbreak? Claire tried to take as much of it in as she possibly could, but really it was a bunch of white and metallic rooms with vials and syringes. Then as they neared an exit, she saw it. A licker was in one of the rooms tearing apart one of the guards that had reported to take care of the problem. She kept running but Rodgers had a tight grip on her arm. Out of nowhere, the licker sprung towards Claire, who immediately ducked, causing the creature to land on the sergeant. This was her chance. She grabbed his gun, now on the floor and ran for dear life.


	5. Alone

Claire ran. She kept running and she ran against the crowd, not with it. She needed to get a hold of a computer or something to message Chris or someone for help. She soon reached a long hallway that had been evacuated. She looked into the windows of the rooms and located a computer. She entered and scanned the room for any signs of lickers or infected. The room seemed clear enough to be safe, despite being an Umbrella laboratory in which an outbreak had occurred. She carefully made her way over the computer and logged into her email. _You guys know what to do._ She sent the email to all four of her comrades and waited. She then sat back and waited for a response she knew would come shortly. _*Bing*_ An email had arrived. It was from Leon.

 _"Too late. We were on our way an hour ago. Ur in Richmond btw. ;P"_

Relief flooded her chest. They were coming. As she got up to exit the lab/office, she saw a shiny, metallic case lying on a counter. She walked over to it curiously and opened it. She was shocked as she the contents inside. Swirly vials lied inside. All different colors. Some blue, some green, one purple. _Oh shit._ Could it be she found samples of the T-virus or even the T-Veronica Virus? She knew the dangers and hoped that the loss of these viruses wouldn't have some type of consequence. She took out every vial and laid them on the table. Having been in Umbrella labs before, she knew it wouldn't be long before the self-destruct sequence was activated. Claire would leave these vials out in hopes that none would survive the self-destruction. As she laid the last one on the table, she heard the door open. This time she got gun in time and shot towards the door. For a split second there was silence, then another shot rang out. Claire ducked behind the desk for cover, just as a bullet flew over her head.

"Can't hide forever Claire." The voice belonged to Sergeant Rodgers. Claire stood up from behind the desk and Rodgers came out from the hallway. He seemed to be fine. The only apparent injury seemed to be the large scratch on his face.

"Yeah well, I'm not hiding anymore. You got a little something here, by the way." Her hand waved over her cheek, mocking the man's obvious laceration. He stepped forward and tossed his gun aside. He was getting closer. She raised her gun and aimed directly at his chest.

"Now, now. That's a little hostel. Why don't lower that thing before you get hurt." He swung his hand over, knocking the gun sideways and Claire felt a quick flash of pain above her eyebrow. She swung her leg and it made contact with the Sergeant's rib cage. He backed away a bit, and it gave her time to breathe and notice that he had now a long knife in his hand. As if putting the pieces together, she raised her hand to her brow, and then lowered it, her hand was now bloody.

"You have a little something around here." The Sergeant mocked.

"You've got some nerve." Claire disliked being taunted. She was the sarcastic one, not him. She then saw him dash towards her. She registered his movement in time to bring her knee up and it land straight on his stomach. She swung a fist towards his face as he was momentarily distracted. It landed home, but was immediately returned. She shielded her face and was punched in the midsection. She grabbed an empty syringe and stabbed his leg. He yelled in pain. He then grabbed her and tossed her towards the table. She flew over the table, knocked off all the contents they were laid across it, and landed on her back. As stood to get up she heard the cracking of glass and felt a sharp pain across her forearm. She looked down and was panic stricken. Her arm was bloodied and had shards of glass within her arm. The vials' content were spilled all over the floor and some was on her arm. Quickly, she wiped her arm on her pants, despite the pain that shot through her arm. _Fuck! Some couldn't have gotten in! Right?! I'm not infected!_ She quickly stood up to find the sergeant staring down at her.

"Looks like someone's been exposed. I no longer have any reason to keep you around, since you're infected and will die soon enough." He aimed his gun at her head and was ready to fire. Before anything shooting occurred, a computer activated voice announced,

 _"All Umbrella employees please be advised, an outbreak has occurred the main chamber. Self-destruct sequence has been activated. Detonation occurs four minutes."_

"Well. I got to run," Rodgers smirked, "I'd love to stay and chat but, I'm sure _dying_ to see what the self-destruction of a lab looks like from the outside." With that he shot her knee and was off. Claire was left alone on the floor, glass in arm and bullet in her knee. Never had she felt so alone.


	6. Rescued?

_*Click*_ The door's lock turned and Chris slipped inside quietly. He had snuck by some guards from the outside, as things were calm after Claire so called imprisonment. Leon had contacted Chris and notified him that they were on their way to the lab in Richmond, Virginia. With that Chris was content knowing Leon, Jill, and Rebecca were coming to Claire's rescue. He entered the office labeled _A. Hastings PhD, Bio-Organics._ He assumed he would find something here. He walked over to the desk and turned on the computer. A security screen appeared and required a password and login. He reached his phone and dialed Rebecca. Five minutes later he was in and searching the files. One particularly sparked his interest. _T-Veronica: Advanced._ He clicked on the file and was brought to research notes they had not seen before. He quickly scanned the notes and sent a copy to Jill, Leon, and Rebecca. He read on and on and then came upon a paragraph talking about a so called 'advanced version' the T-Veronica virus. It simply stated that the new version had made certain subjects mutate. On one rare occasion the subject had gained inhuman speed and strength, as well as advanced senses. _Hmph._ This seemed bad, even for Umbrella. Then an update bar showed up at the top of the screen. It was a message from an Umbrella lab

It read, _"Update on Umbrella lab in Richmond, Virginia. Outbreak has occurred. Self-destruction was initiated."_ Chris felt his heart drop. Surely Claire would be able to make her escape then. If he knew his sister, he knew that's what she would do. He sent the crew a message telling them of the news.

Rebecca sent a response almost immediately, "Don't worry Chris were almost there. We'll get her back." Chris could almost imagine her cheery voice saying those words. He had to get out of here and go help Claire in any way he could. With that he left the office and snuck out of the warehouse.

* * *

Claire had now exactly four minutes to escape the lab before it detonated. She had tied a piece of a lab coat around her wound to stop the bleeding. Then she started to move. She wasn't about to die in an Umbrella lab because of gunshot wound. She reached the door, which was closed, and then it swung open, sending her back onto the floor. _Fuck!_ The pain wasn't making it much easier. She looked up and was staring a tall man wearing all black. Wesker.

"You show up at the worst times you know." She grunted in pain.

He ignored her, walked past Claire, and walked towards the desk. He looked desperate. He was looking for something. _The samples?_ He went towards where the case used to be. _Too late,_ she thought to herself as she weakly attempted to get up off the floor. Wesker then turned his attention to the floor where the broken vials lied. She was now halfway out the door. As, she staggered towards the exit located at the end of the hall, her arm burned. Whether it was the glass or the contents it contained, she didn't know. She kept limping away and hoped that Wesker was still distracted by the broken vials, but something told her he wasn't. As quickly as he came, he exited the room, and caught up to her. He grabbed her and pressed her against the wall by her throat.

"Do you care to explain what happened to the contents of the case, Miss Redfield?" He was grabbing her throat hard and she tried to pry his hands from her throat with her bloodied hands. He then looked down and noticed the arm injury as well as the glass shards.

"Your idiot…guards happened. That's…what happened.." She was now gasping for air.

"You care to explain this Miss Redfield?" He motioned towards her arm.

Before any respond slipped from her lips, a loud voice rung throughout the laboratory,

 _"One minute before detonation. All employees make their way to designated safe zone."_

At that, Wesker grabbed Claire and began to carry her one, one arm under her knees and the other lifting her back. Caught off guard, she started kicking and punching him as hard as she could.

Obviously making it difficult for him, Wesker stated, "I'm trying to save your life, Miss Redfield. If that laceration on your arm suggests what I think it suggests, you may be worth keeping alive."

Obviously defeated, Claire had no other option but to remain calm and not make this take longer than it needed to. Wesker easily managed to navigate his way around the labs and offices. As they neared an exit, a loud gurgle came from behind them. Claire's eyes dashed forward and back, and then she saw it. A licker was chasing after them. She instinctively reached for her gun to find nothing there. She then saw Wesker's gun tucked into a holster he had on his mid-section. She thought before reaching for it. This would end one of two ways. One: Wesker would allow her to grab the gun and shoot the licker. Or two: she would attempt to grab it, and Wesker's cat reflexes would kick in, causing him to drop her or maybe even worse. _Screw it,_ she thought. It was getting too close for comfort. Her hand brushed against his mid-section and she felt him stiffen a little. She got the gun and shot the creature chasing them. It stopped it for a second, but it was determined. She was going to shoot once again, when she heard an explosion. Then another and another. The explosions were getting louder. Then, one appeared very close by, so close that Claire felt the heat of the flames that engulfed the room afterwards. She turned to look at the path ahead but was distorted by brightness then suddenly she was engulfed by silence as well.


	7. Timing

"Take a left here." Rebecca's voice cut through the sound of wind coming in through the open window. The trees were tall and snow was falling in Richmond. They were driving through a forest. To the far left there was a mountain, but they were nearing it every second. They were almost to the lab's location, and Leon was nervous. Hell, he'd be nervous since Claire was taken. He wasn't getting any sleep, and he couldn't focus. All he knew was that he would feel better when she was back with them. Earlier, Rebecca had received a message from Chris explaining to them that an outbreak occurred and the lab was set to self-destruct. With that they had hurried, but Jill's bad navigation skills hadn't helped. A million things were running through Leon's mind. _Was Claire alive? Was she okay? Had she made it out?_ If anything were to happen to Claire. He might not be able to live with the thought that he couldn't get to her in time. His train of thought was interrupted as he saw smoke rising out of the distance.

"There!" he yelled and pointed. Jill stepped on the gas drove towards the clouds of smoke, that were followed by loud explosions. They reached a stop and up ahead they saw many scientists and guards standing outside an entrance to what they assumed was the laboratory.

"They're probably waiting to be evacuated." Inquired Jill.

"Let's try to go around. See if we can find Claire maybe somewhere amongst the crowd," Leon was determined and the first out of the car. "Let's go through the trees. We'll be harder to spot." The snow was falling softly and the crew was maneuvering the woods with inexperience.

"Last time I was in the woods, I was chased be infected dogs." Jill sighed at the memory of what occurred that night. She had almost died and she had almost lost Chris. She could feel Leon's uneasiness about Claire's ware bouts. She could sense that Leon liked Claire. She hoped for both Leon's and Chris' sake that Claire was alright.

* * *

It was silent and cold. _Is this what death was like?_ , Claire wondered. If it was, she would be content, as she felt no worries. There was peace. Sure it was cold, but it didn't bother her much. Those few moments of peace were shattered by a burning sensation on her arm. It was intensifying. Her eyes fluttered open and she took in her surroundings. She was lying face down in snow, her white shirt stained with blood in some places and her blue jeans torn in different areas. Her vision was obstructed by her hair, which was loose. Tall, snow covered trees surrounded her. It was snowing softly and standing against one tree trunk was Wesker. He seemed calm and was looking coolly at her. She couldn't help but notice how attractive he looked standing there. She quickly shook the thought from her head. _It's Wesker. You're not allowed to think that_ , she told herself. He strolled over to her and simply looked down at her.

"Well. Sleeping Beauty's finally awake. Now," he grabbed her arm and roughly hauled her to her feet, he was only a few inches from Claire's face as he spoke softly, "Now. What. Happened. To. My. Samples?" The way he spoke sent shivers down her spine. It made her uneasy, as if he were delivering a death blow to a wounded animal. Claire carefully thought about what her next words should be. After a few moments, she finally spoke back with the same soft tone,

"Your idiotic guards happened." She felt the corner of her lips curve upward. She really did like pissing people off. Wesker sighed in discontent, though there was a small smile on his face but it quickly disappeared and he tilted Claire's head towards upwards to meet his shaded eyes.

"Very well Miss Redfield, you wish to make this harder on yourself." The grip on he had on her arm increased. He began dragging her behind him. Where to, she had no idea. Then, a road loomed out from behind the trees and a black car was parked out in front of them. Wesker had released her and reached out in front of him. He opened the passenger door and simply waited. She raised her eyebrow at him in disbelief. He returned the gaze and spoke once more,

"Do you wish for me to force you into the vehicle?" He smirked. Claire sighed and hesitantly limped into the car. He closed the door and walked around the back of the car. He opened the trunk and pulled out something that she couldn't make out. She kept her eyes on him through the rear-view mirror. He opened the door and slipped into the car. In his hands, he had a blanket. He offered it to her as he turned on the car. She eyed it carefully and noticed she was shivering furiously. She took it and mumbled a thank you. He then put the car in drive and floored it.

* * *

"I don't see her anywhere." Jill scanned the crowed and couldn't find Claire. Snow had been falling making it easier to walk around hidden. She maneuvered the trees with Rebecca behind her. Then Rebecca spoke,

"I know. You think she escaped?" Silence engulfed the two. Jill was uneasy and dodged the question.

"Let's catch up with Leon. Maybe he found her."

Soon enough they found Leon. He was crouched on the floor staring at what seemed like blood stained on the snow. There was a door nearby that seemed to lead into the mountain. It was completely sealed off by a large steel door. When Jill neared, she noticed Leon was twirling something in his fingers. With a closer look, she noticed it was a black hair tie. Like the ones Claire used. She sighed and placed a hand on Leon's shoulder. He looked up at her and she almost expected to see tears in his eyes. Instead they were emotionless and empty.

"Someone should tell Chris," He simply said. "I'm going to get closer. Keep an eye out."

"Wait Leon-", it was Rebecca, she was about to go after him but was stopped by Jill.

"Just let him go. He wants to be alone right now."

"Fine. I'll go call Chris." She was off. Seconds later Leon came rushing out from the trees.

"I found a road. And some tires tracks. They seem pretty fresh. And there was more blood. I think she was taken again."

"Get Rebecca. We're leaving. Now. If we follow the tracks we might reach her."

Leon rushed into forest to get Rebecca. Jill watched him rush off and hoped he was right. She remembered what it was like not being able to find Chris back in the mansion. She could only hope Leon was right.

* * *

The trees seemed to blur into one white wall with streaks of brown every once in awhile as Claire and Wesker sped down the highway. She was wrapped in the blanket that Wesker had given and her head leaned against window. She could feel Wesker watching her every once in awhile, but wasn't really sure since her hair was down, covering her view from Wesker. They hadn't spoken since they left the lab. There was still Wesker's unanswered question. She had no idea where he was taking her and it scared her. For all she knew, she going to a different lab. She heard Wesker moving beside her, but decided to keep her eyes on the forest. She was wondering, what would Leon and the others think when they got to the lab to find it destroyed? Would they think she had died and they would give trying to find her? She couldn't think of that right now. She had to get away from Wesker and get help. Her leg was no longer in pain. That scared her. She wondered if the time she spent in the snow could have affected it somehow. Suddenly, she saw a flash of silver in the reflection from the window. She turned and saw Wesker had a needle in his hand. She eyed it and him with a cold stare.

"What the fuck are you doing?" She asked nervously, now with her back was pressed against the car door. She wondered if she would survive falling out of a moving car going thirty-five miles per hour.

"Sorry Miss Redfield, just a precaution." He reached to inject her with whatever it was in her arm. She moved in time and reached to take it from him. He was too fast and pulled it away before she could grab it.

"Nice try, but no." Claire told him as she tucked her hand behind her back to reach for the door handle. He kept his eyes on the road at all times, and then she heard it. _*click*_ The doors were locked.

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me" she said with a tone that suggested that she couldn't believe he had locked them. She reached for the door to find that they were, indeed, locked. She turned at the feeling of numbness in her arm. She looked down at her arm and found the needle directly in it. She then looked at him. He was looking at her over his glasses and smirking.

"You're…an," she slowly tried to get her words out as she began feeling faint, "asshole." There she said it. She was feeling even more tired by the second. She turned towards him as she felt him move his arm. This time it brushed by her lap, sending a jolt of energy to her brain. Before she knew it, his face was inches from hers. So close she could feel his breath. _Whatishedoingwhatishedoingwhatishedoing?!_ She felt herself woozily, questioning his motives but found herself in no condition no back away. Then, she fell backwards; she was now lying back in the seat. Her hair fanned out around her and some covered her face. She tried to get the courage and strength to pull herself up and failed. She finally gave up and dozed off into sleep. If she would have remained conscious for a little while more, she would have seen his hand hover over her face as he hesitantly decided what to do next. Then, he did it. His hand cautiously brushed her hair away from her face and he tucked one piece behind her ear. After that he kept his hands on the steering wheel the entire time, not even looking at her once. If he would have, he would have noticed the laceration on her arm heal almost immediately. Timing was a bitch.


	8. Blundering Around in the Dark

He couldn't believe his ears. Chris had just received the news about how there was no sign of Claire other than a hair tie and blood in the outskirts of the laboratory. He was losing hope fast. He was ready to leave for Richmond when he received a text from Jill.

 _"We lost signs of the car. I'm sorry Chris. We're coming home."_ He then tucked his phone into his back pocket. He let out a sigh and tossed his car keys onto his counter. He didn't know what his next move was. He replied with a short, "Okay. See you soon." He walked over to the cabinet and pulled out a bottle of vodka. He sat on the couch and stared at the bottle. He had promised his parents that he would take care of her. He felt like a failure. He'd let this happen twice now. He reached for the bottle, opened it and took a swing. He didn't know how long he spent on the couch drinking and eventually he even cried. He had no idea what she might be going through, especially if Wesker was involved. This time he wasn't sure he'd get Claire back safe and sound.

* * *

Claire was slowly coming to her senses but she remained weak. Her eyes fluttered open to the sound of a creaking door. She was now aware of her surroundings. She was being carried by Wesker and the blanket was stilled wrapped around her. She saw small flecks of snow in Wesker's hair. Wesker then gently set her down on a brown, leather couch. She tried to sit up but her vision darkened and she let herself fall asleep once more. She had many dreams of waking up in a different room with immense pain. Once she even imagined that she was bleeding from her eyes and nose. A different time she dreamt herself on the floor coughing up blood. She was by herself and was coughing up more and more blood.

Sometime later, she woke up and was now in a different room. She was lying in a white-sheeted bed and she was connected to a heart monitor. There was an IV catheter sticking out of the top of her hand. She was confused and turned to the floor and saw it was blood-stained. Confusion filled her head. _They were just dreams, right?_ She wasn't so sure anymore. She disconnected the heart monitor and took out the catheters. She walked off into a room that appeared to be a bathroom. She stared at herself in the mirror and was shocked at what she saw. She was in a hospital gown and her hair was down, that however wasn't the scary part. She looked, well, dirty. She had dark circles under her eyes and she looked thinner than the last time she looked in a mirror. She immediately her breathing was getting quicker and she was having a panic attack. _Where am I? How long have I been here? What is happening to me? Do my friends think I'm dead?_ She tried to calm herself down and splashed water on her face. Claire barely heard the door to the main room open and Wesker step inside. She was startled by his presence and she backed up and bumped her calf on the cold bathtub, nearly falling in. He reached out to grab her but she had caught herself. She gave him a blank stare before speaking first,

"What happened to me?"

He deflected her question and simply said,

"You should get back to bed. You're dehydrated and going to be in pain soon."

"Not until you tell me happened." She was shaking her head, her panic attack slowly returning. He slowly reached his arm out and brushed it by her face, cupping her cheek softly. He felt her stiffen under his touch. He then gently grabbed her arm and led her to back to the bed. He reconnected the catheter and replaced the heart monitor, even though Claire seemed fairly uncomfortable being touched by him. His shaded eyes avoided her as he spoke next,

"My idiot guards happened.", he joked. What? He surprised even himself.

Claire started to connect dots together in her head,

"I'm infected aren't I?" She barely said the words; they came out more as a whisper.

"Yes. Yes you are." He said the words harshly, trying to recover from the 'joke' he had said a few seconds before.

Claire tried getting out but was pushed back into bed.

"Stop. You are now the only source of the untouched T-Veronica Virus I have. I don't wish to have to treat you roughly, but if you make it difficult I'll be forced to. I'm not planning on letting you go anytime soon."

"So now I'm just a supply source? Your test subject?," anger began rising in Claire. She'd rather be dead than one of Umbrella's experiments. "You're a sick fuck, you know that?" She sprung out as fast as she could, but her current state was no help. She barely made it to the door when strong arms enclosed around her waist, hauling her off her feet. She was tossed back onto the bed. She tried getting up once more but was stopped as Wesker was on top of her, his legs cradling her sides and his hands wrapped around her wrists, forcing them down onto the mattress. She kicked and tried to break free but he continued to hold her down effortlessly. She managed to slip a hand free and slap him across the face, knocking his glasses off. He turned back at her and she was now staring into deep red eyes. She suppressed a gasp and chose her next words carefully,

"Did the same infection do that to you?" He nodded. "Get off of me." He slowly back up off Claire and she sat up slowly. Wesker sat at the edge of the bed, his eyes still on Claire.

"Look. I don't…." Claire honestly didn't know where she was going with this. She then just let herself go. She began to weep uncontrollably. She had never cried her eyes out so much. She looked up and imagined all of things that she'd be missing out in life. She was doomed and she knew it. Nothing would ever be the same. She slowly let herself get off the bed and walked once more to the restroom. She wouldn't let herself loose this easily. She was a Redfield. She would get through this and destroy Umbrella and Wesker. Even if it meant the death of her. She was already screwed, for all she was concerned. She turned and saw Wesker staring out the window. She wasn't ready to stop fighting. She walked out and stopped at Wesker's side.

"So, what's next then?" she asked while she stared blankly out the window, completely ignoring Wesker's red eyes watching her.

* * *

 _*Bang Bang Bang*_ Leon's hard fist repeatedly slammed against Chris' apartment door.

"Can you try calling him again?" The crew hadn't heard back from Chris since they last spoke on their way back from Richmond.

"Already did," responded Jill, "here." She slowly moved Leon aside and began picking the lock.

"Couldn't have done that ten minutes ago?" stated Leon clearly exhausted. A few moments later the door opened up and they were surprised at what they saw inside. The place was a mess and furniture was all over the place. All three of them drew their guns and slowly proceeded inside. As they neared they heard noises coming from the bathroom. Jill inched over to the hallway and saw Chris' bedroom door open. She peeked in and saw many bottles of alcohol tossed around the bed. She put away her gun and asked the rest of them to go out for a little while and grab some breakfast. Leon raised an eyebrow at Jill, but she gave him a look that sent a kind of understanding. He nodded his head and walked out with Rebecca. Jill was now alone in the living room. She walked over to the bathroom and opened the door. She wasn't surprised peaked through and saw a shirtless Chris slumped against the tub with bloodshot eyes. She didn't question him, she didn't run up to help him , she simply took off her jacket and sat down next to him, holding his hand. Together they sat hand in hand staring into the wall. Few minutes later, she turned on the shower, and helped Chris in. She walked out and tidied the place up a bit. This wasn't the first time he'd been through something like this and responded with getting beyond drunk. Jill was always there to help him; she'd always be there for him. Half an hour later Chris immerged from the bathroom fully clothed and clean. He walked to the kitchen and ate some of the bagels that Leon had brought. He didn't say word after he'd finished eating.

"Now what?" Rebecca was the first to break the silence. They all looked defeated. Leon was the next to speak,

"We find one of the closest researchers whose name was on the notes Chris took from the warehouse. It's our best bet right now. We can't just keep blundering around the dark here."

Nobody objected. "Good. Let's get started."


	9. Ada Wong

**Hey guys! Sorry that it took me a while get this part out. I've been a little busy anyways thanks for reading!**

* * *

Suspicion arose in Wesker when Claire just openly asked what the next step was. Claire wasn't one too easily give up; it was against the Redfield nature.

"The virus hasn't destroyed that Redfield spark has it?" Wesker asked mockingly, as he reached out and pushed back a lock of her hair. She didn't even react or stiffen at his touch. He didn't like this. Something was up.

"Fine. Get ready and meet me downstairs in ten minutes." He walked towards the door and before he walked out Claire's monotonous voice speak,

"What do you expect me to wear?" He tried to detect a hint of sarcasm, but found none.

Without turning around, he simply said, "After your shower, you should find a new set of clothing. Now waste any more time than you already have." Claire had already slammed the bathroom door shut. _The Redfield spark doesn't die. It can't. Especially now. It's all I have left._

An hour later, Claire emerged from a steamy bathroom and into the bedroom with a towel wrapped around her torso. She walked over to the bed where a black outfit was lied down.

"I remember saying to come down stairs in TEN minutes, not an HOUR later." She spun around and found Wesker leaning against the wall. At least he felt like he could still surprise her. She ignored him and grabbed the clothes and attempted to walk back into the bathroom. He grabbed her throat and slammed her into the wall.

"I was talking to you Miss Redfield. I won't be ignored." He was inches from her face. She stared at him and spoke,

"Well, honestly I couldn't care less if you were even shouting at me." He glared at her and raised his hand and backhanded her. Claire saw it coming and braced herself.

"I'll get some show of respect I deserve from you one way or another." He lowered his lips to her ears as he softly whispered, sending a shiver down her bare shoulders. She could feel his warm breath on her shoulders and was suddenly reminded of the fact that a towel was the only thing covering her.

"I apologize."

"Get dressed and come down in five. If you don't I'll be forced to dress you up myself." An evil smirk lingered on his face as he walked out leaving behind a blushing Claire.

* * *

Albert Wesker had just left behind Claire in her bedroom when he received a call. One he had been anxiously waiting for.

"Yes?" he questioned.

"Most of the targets have been neutralized. There is one remaining but he seems to have run off to Pittsburg for the time being. I'm heading over tonight." The woman's voice replied with little concern about the job at hand.

"Thank you Miss Wong. I expect the job to be finished by tomorrow. Fail me or you'll end up like them."

"Affirmative. Do you still have the Redfield girl with you?"

"The current business I have with Miss Redfield is none of your concern, Miss Wong"

With that he ended the call. He had been informed by Ada that the scientists in charge of storing the information were trying work out a deal with the BSAA to get themselves out of any charges for helping Umbrella manufacture B. . He didn't like the chances of any information of the advanced version of the T-Veronica Virus getting out. He had no other choice but to get rid of them. Luckily, he had a very capable Asian spy who whose was willing to do anything for a certain price.

* * *

Ada Wong had just gotten off the phone with the infamous Albert Wesker. A new job was at hand and she was fully prepared to come through. She had to redeem herself ever since the accident in Spain. Sure she had gotten the samples, but Wesker was less than pleased to find out Leon had made it out alive. She just couldn't see him die or get hurt. Especially at her hand. She was off to Pittsburg. Curiosity filled her mind. _Why would Wesker keep the sister of his arch enemy alive this long?_ _He must be getting soft. Hmph._ Ada smirked at the thought. Wesker a softly? _No way in hell._

* * *

"Okay so I had Hunnigan search for any of the names that were filled in the notes. So far, only one name keeps repeating. It's the name of the man who's in charge with storing the information in the warehouse Chris snuck into. Doctor Alfred Hastings. According to Hunnigan, he'd been doing some recent activity outside Umbrella. He was responsible for a possible hacking of a pharmaceutical company that was a big competitor with Umbrella." Leon read the report that was sent to him by his friend Ingrid Hunnigan.

"He was last seen in Pennsylvania. Not sure if he's left the state. Or even alive for the matter."

That caught Chris' attention. "What do you mean by _even_ _alive_?"

"Hunnigan just found out that the other researchers listed on the list are all dead. Most of them died recently actually. Cause of death still unknown, however police expect foul play."

Chris was not excited by the sound of that. "We have to find this Hastings guy before whoever is killing the scientists does. He may be our only lead." At that moment, Leon received a message from Hunnigan.

 _Intel received. Deal with Umbrella scientist happening in Pittsburg. Hastings is believed to be involved._

"We got a lead! We are going to Pittsburg! We leave in five." The team scrambled to get there things as they informed of the target location.

A couple hours later, they were in Pittsburg and all dressed in black with hoodies covering their faces. They were taken to a dark alley where Chris and Jill were posted above in the roofs of buildings doing reconnaissance, and Leon and Rebecca were hidden behind some garbage bins waiting for any action to occur. Within thirty minutes of arrival, a mysterious man had appeared in the alley as if waiting for someone.

"Is that him?" radioed Chris.

"Not sure. His face is too covered." Rebecca reported back.

The figure was looking around the alley frantically. Then, a tall slender silhouette stepped into the picture. It appeared to be a woman.

"You guys see that? His buddy arrived. Nobody else is in the area" Jill noted.

She was talking softly to the man when suddenly; the discussion seemed to be getting heated. The man's body language was getting intense whilst the woman seemed calm as if nothing bothered her. He suddenly began running towards where Leon and Rebecca were secretly posted. They stepped into view and the man stopped in his tracks.

"Please you need to help me! She's going to kill me!"

"Who is?"

The click of heels echoed throughout the alley. Then the silhouette stepped into view. First the red heels, then the black jeans, after the red silk blouse,

"Well isn't this a surprise?" Leon stood silent with his gun raised as the woman who had recently betrayed him in Spain smirked at him, waiting for a response.


	10. Worsening

"Leon? Is…is that Ada?" Chris' voice blared through the earpiece Leon was wearing.

His shaky voice replied, "Umm. Yeah it is."

"Nervous are we, Leon?" Her red lips parted giving an evil smile. Snow began falling ever so slightly.

"Wait. You two work together? Fuck!" The man attempted to run past Leon but failed as Rebecca's swift legs swept under his feet, causing him to collapse.

"Well it was nice seeing you Leon, but I need doctor behind you. He knows just a _bit_ too much."

"You need him dead, right? Sorry we can't let that happen. Just so happens we need him alive."

"Ooooo. Leon's developed an attitude." She used her seductive voice as eyed her surrounding area spotting Jill and Chris in the rooftop.

"She's planning something! Look at her!" the man yelled as he himself off the floor and leaned against the wall as Rebecca took a quick look at the minor cuts on his palms.

"Listen, I'm in a bit of a hurry," She lifted an eyebrow at Leon, "if this is about Redfield's sister-"

She noticed Leon's eyes widen very slightly. "Ohh, it is. Well, let's just say she might not be alive a much longer." Leon looked up at Chris, almost half expecting him to shoot Ada if she didn't say anything about her location. In that instant…that split second, she raised her gun and shot twice. The bullets landed right on the doctor's chest. She lifted her arm and aimed towards the building opposite to the building Chris and Jill were posted. She shot her hook gun and was immediately taken into the air. Air rushed at her face, she flipped forward and landed in a crouched position.

"Ada!" Leon's voice rang out. She was about to peak over the ledged to watch the final result from above, when a bullet flew past her head and another buried into the ledge she was currently taking cover behind. She decided to take her chances and make a run for it. She knew Redfield had a temper and that Leon would somehow get her to crack. Those two together would be too much to handle. She heard the sound of feet running about the neighboring buildings' roof and she began moving. She took one glance down below where knew Leon would be. _Until next time, handsome._

* * *

Her heels were really becoming an inconvenience as she walked through the wet city sidewalks. Ada had just killed Doctor Hastings and was on her way back to Virginia. She took out her phone and hit speed dial.

"Update Miss Wong" The cold voice met her ear as she turned a corner onto a street, ready to catch a cab to the airport.

"He's dead."

"Well done, Miss Wong. Your payment will be waiting for you in your mailbox. I will, however deduct quite a bit for the little stunt you pulled leaving alive a certain Mr. Kennedy alive just now." She froze in her tracks. How did he know?

"Did you honestly believe I wouldn't listen in when you got to your location?" She cursed inwardly when she realized the mistake of leaving her phone on. He'd done it before. She knew better.

"He knows nothing. The threat he opposes-"

"Miss Wong, the threat is you, as you are becoming less reliable. How do I know you would end his life if he knew something of value?"

Silence. Ada had no response. She usually did.

"I understand." With that she hung up and this time powered it off.

As a cab passed by, she halted it to stop.

"To the nearest airport please." Just as she clicked her seat belt on, the door to the left swung open and a big figure sat next to her. She tried to reach for her gun as she realized it was Chris Redfield who had infiltrated her cab, but a hand smacked it out of her hand from the right. She turned and saw Jill had open the right door and was now with a knife against her throat.

"You'll be coming with us." Leon had a smirk on his face that screamed some sort of victory over her.

"Hmph. Whatever you say, handsome."

She stepped out of the cab and was pushed against the cab as a pair of cold handcuffs went around her slim wrists. Leon then handed her to Chris as he opened the door to an old building. Inside there was a chair and a hanging light. Ada was pushed into the chair and then Chris and Leon stepped into view.

"Let's make this quick. I have a sister to find. Where is Wesker keeping Claire?" Chris spoke first.

"What makes you think I know?" Her gaze was kept solely on Leon."

"You're a resourceful girl. I'm sure you know somewhere Wesker would keep someone captive or his safe haven." Chris pushed on.

"Listen, I'd rather get on your bad side than Weskers'. If anything you should keep that precious sister of yours locked up somewhere tight."

"Tell me!" He raised his arm as if ready to strike.

"Aww…you seemed like a gentleman. You wouldn't hit a lady would you?" She puckered her lips and she spoke.

A female voice arose from behind Chris, "I certainly will." Jill stepped into view.

"How cute. The power couple. Listen how about a deal?" Silence engulfed them.

"You let me go without a scratch and I'll give you one location where Weskers' retreated to before."

"It better be a good one, Wong."

"Mount Rogers. Wesker has a cabin somewhere around there. He hid there before the outbreak at the lab in the mountains." Ada stared in silence as the group stared at each other deciding their next step.

"Un-cuff her." Chris stated as he turned to leave the building. Leon, who had been suspiciously quiet during the discussion, was behind Ada unlocking the hand cuffs.

"A word of advice Chris," Ada stood from her chair and rubbed her wrists as the older Redfield turned around, "when you find her, don't expect her to be the same as when she was taken." With that she walked past Leon, slightly bumping to his shoulder as she made her way out of the building and into the snowy outdoors.

"Ada!" A voice reached her as snowflakes began to land slightly on her head. She turned and saw Leon. "Thank you." With that she turned and walked into the street, not knowing when their next encounter would occur.

* * *

Claire stared at herself in the mirror before she joined Wesker in the other part of the cabin.

Never in her life had she worn so much black. She was in tight black jeans, heeled combat boots, and a tight black tank top. She would have out her hair up in a ponytail but found her wrists clean of hair-ties. _Here we go._ She stepped out of the room and walked down a corridor until she found a set of stairs. She walked down slowly and turned into a sitting room when her foot found the last step. It was dimly lit and outside Claire could see snow falling lightly outside. It seemed almost dream-like. She could imagine her friends walking in through the door. Chris and Jill hand-in-hand, Rebecca would walk in, probably with her phone in hand, and Leon would come in last; his eyes would probably linger on her for a while before inviting her to grab a coffee. She sighed and voice broke her train of thought,

"Missing your friends already, dear?" Wesker was leaning against a door frame that led to the kitchen by the smells of it. She honestly hated when he did that.

"Yeah, your company isn't that great to be honest." He stepped forward in intimidation and she took a step back.

"There's food in the kitchen. I'd imagine you're starving since you spent the last few days unconscious and ruining the carpet with your blood."

"Well, being infected with a virus tends to do that to a girl." She tried to walk past him but his arm shot out and grabbed her chin, tilting it upwards and moving it side to side. She stood there frozen. His glasses seemed to pierce into her. She was looking up at him when he finally spoke,

"No apparent changes I can see." He spoke very softly, as if speaking to himself. She tried to pull herself back but his grip was to strong. He let her go and she fell against and the frame, smacking her head with it.

"Don't be too anxious to get away from me, dear. You're going to be here for a while.", he chuckled as she proceeded into the kitchen. She saw a plate of chicken Alfredo sitting on the marble counter. She took the plate and walked over to the drawers. Plastic utensils were the only things inside. No knives either. Figures he wouldn't trust her with anything she could stab him with. She took a fork, lifted herself onto the counter, and began to eat. In the other room, she could hear Wesker on the phone with someone. After a while, Wesker walked in at stopped dead in his tracks. He eyed her for a while and she simply stared back, chewing on the food.

"Is there a problem Wesker?" She slurped up the noodles and wiped her mouth.

"Miss Redfield, there are chairs for you to sit on in the dining room."

"I rather eat here." She didn't bother to look up at him.

"I'd prefer if you ate in a chair in the dining room."

"And _I'd_ prefer to be with my friends, not someone who destroys lives in his spare time, but we can't all get what we want, can we?" She saw him step closer and she stiffened a little. She hated fearing him. Though she never openly admit it. She set her plate aside and hopped off the counter.

"There. Happy?"

"I'm never happy."

"Obviously."

"Miss Redfield I need to run some tests on you. Immediately."

"I just finished eating. Gimme a break." She was annoyed and was ready to go back to bed. Wesker raised his hand slowly and passed his hand gently under her nose.

"Can you stop being such a freak?!" She took a closer look at his hand as she pulled away and noticed blood was now covering his glove. She lifted her hand and found her nose bleeding.

"For fucks sake." She barely managed to get her words out before her vision darkened and an immense pain ran throughout her body.

She felt her knees give out and an arm wrap around her waist before she hit the floor.

She was looking up at Wesker and she felt faint. _What have I gotten myself into?_

He carried her around the counter and into a room with a piano. He laid her on the couch and pushed a button and a wall lowered itself, revealing a white hallway leading to a room. He picked her up and walked into a room with a metal examination table. He laid her down and took a vial and filled it with her blood.

"I would be less freaked out if…if you tell me what the fuck is going on. Ugghhh!" He was startled by the sound of her voice, as he thought she had passed out.

"Watch the attitude, Miss Redfield. If I knew I would tell you, as to avoid useless conversations like this."

"Okay, I'm probably going to end up dead in few hours, the least you can do is be nice. Argh! Make it stop Wesker!" She was clutching her stomach and trembling hard. She saw him take out a syringe and plunged it into her neck.

"I'll get labs results in a few hours, til then try not to bleed all over the place." She was already being pulled under. This time she saw and felt him softly brush the hair out her face. It should have felt unnatural, but it didn't. If anything she felt herself leaning into his touch. Before she closed her eyes she could have sworn she saw his face soften.


	11. Found

The brightness distorted her vision as her eyes fluttered open. The first thing she noticed when she came to her senses was, oddly, music. She heard a haunting melody coming from the room with a piano. It sounded familiar but she couldn't put her finger on it. She limped to the room as quietly as she could and she could begin to see the piano. Playing the piano was Wesker. To some surprise, his glasses were off and his fingers skillfully moved back and forth on the ivory keys. She couldn't help but feel relaxed at the sight. He looked peaceful and the music calmed her. Sensing her presence, he turned to look at her without stopping the music. Several seconds passed before his attention was turned back to the keys. She was left standing there clueless. Before she knew what she was doing, she was striding over to the piano bench. She hesitantly sat down and watched as Wesker slowly finished the sonata. She sat staring at the room around her and took in the detail. There was a painting of a mansion hanging on the wall opposite to the piano and a different painting of an old brittle looking man. The light from the she had woken up in shone angelically against the dark room. She looked up at Wesker, the lights casting shadows on his chiseled features.

Without looking at her he spoke, "Is there something you wanted to ask me, dear?"

Startled, she found the courage to reply, "What is happening to me?" He lifted himself off the bench and took Claire's hand as he led her into the examination room. She couldn't help but notice how soft his hands were. This time he took her through a door Claire completely ignored the first time she was in here. Inside was dark, with the only light source being from a few computer monitors. The lights turned on automatically a few seconds after. Wesker pointed at a screen that showed an image of some type of virus changing the structure of what she assumed was her DNA.

"The virus you were infected with was a new viral strain that had components of the T-Veronica virus and the Prototype Virus. It caused your genes to mutate and change drastically. The rapid changes are what caused for you to have to have those…unpleasant episodes." The way he spoke mesmerized Claire in way that made her uneasy. He continued talking,

"The changes appear to be staying mostly genetic, though I haven't seen any rather noticeable physical changes." He looked up and down at her and she stood there awkwardly pondering what his next plan would be.

"Do you feel any different, Miss Redfield? Or noticed any differences in your body?"

She shook her head. Honestly she couldn't even think straight.

"Call me Claire. Miss Redfield just sounds odd."

"Claire, it is then." His voice sounded soft. "Also, I'll be needing a sample of your blood." He pulled a chair out and motioned for her to sit down. While he was preparing a needle, a thought surfaced.

"Why didn't I mutate like Steve back on Rockfort?" She whispered as she recalled the distant memory, bringing a pain to her chest.

"He, my dear, wasn't injected with the Prototype virus like you. It calmed the Veronica Virus before it could kill you or mutate you. If I hadn't injected you with an extra dose on the Prototype, you may have died then mutated."

Her head snapped upward toward him as he dabbed the cool peroxide on her forearm.

"An extra dose!? What the hell are you talking about!?"

Wesker stuck the needle in correctly the first time, and then turned his attention to her.

"I had another sample of the Prototype and I injected it into you while you were sleeping, as your body was fighting it off rather pretty well."

"So you're saying I could've fought this thing off?" Her mind was screaming.

"Correct" She stood up rapidly, knocking her chair back, and slapped Albert Wesker. The action caught him by surprise. The needle had slipped out of her arm was the tiny hole it had made, was bleeding in a dark purple.

"See this! I'm a monster because of you! I..I'm not even human anymore am I!?" She clutched her arm, as the bleeding was becoming worse; tears were now streaming down her face. Wesker ignored that fact that she assaulted him and picked up an adhesive band aid and began wrapping it around her forearm. He picked up the chair and pushed her down to sit. She had that stare again. The blank, emotionless stare. Tears trailed her cheeks and Wesker brushed them away. He crouched down and met her stare.

"I needed extra samples of the virus for some research I was working on and you were the only option. I couldn't risk losing track of my research now." His voice relaxed her for a second before she burst into tears. She remembered the time Leon had held her while she wept over the thought of everything they two had been through in Raccoon city. She felt leather against her face and noticed she had thrown her arms around Wesker neck was embracing him wholeheartedly. She quickly pulled away at the stiffness of his body. She wiped away her hair that was stuck to her face with her tears and she sniffled as she awkwardly apologized, "Umm…I'm umm...sorry…" She stood up and walked into the piano room. His hand wrapped around her wrist as soon as her booted feet crossed the threshold.

"Miss Redf-… _Claire,_ it will take time for you to accept what has happened. I believe that you will find a way to use the infection to your advantage."

"Why? Because you have? I'm not you. I'm some kind of power driven freak who seeks to destroy everything and everyone!" She broke from his grasp and was retaliated by being slammed into the wall, hard. Hard enough to knock off one of the paintings off the wall. Her breath was knocked out of her and the hand around her throat made it difficult to breath. He lowered his mouth to her ear and spoke softly, making Claire's skin arise with tiny goosebumps.

"Claire, I've tried to be…patient, but you are making it very difficult to keep a settled mood. If you wish to remain _alive_ I suggest you keep that fiery attitude of yours to a low. You should be _grateful_ that my hatred for _Chris_ has kept you alive so far."

"Chr- Chris? Your hatred for him?" she managed to squeeze the words out of her throat, "To see his little sister be the same monster as his enemy? That's…pathetic…even for you." She clawed at his hands but the grip remained strong. "Here…I was...thinking...maybe...maybe there was a shred of humanity left in you."

"Claire, I believe you'll come to understand me at one point, just not now." His grip loosened but it remained at her base of her neck. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have more important things to spend my time on."

With that, he slid his hand off her neck and walked back into the examination room. She couldn't help but feel betrayed by Wesker. She thought his sole purpose was to further his research, not hurt someone truly important to her. Like she stand either or. She walked away from the piano room and drifted toward the kitchen. She stood there dumbfounded and found herself crying silently. She had to distract herself and decided to look around the place further. She came across a library with a fireplace in it and sat down on one of the brown leather chairs facing the fire. The fire radiated heat and gave Claire some comfort. It brought back memories of her and Chris. She remembered an ugly Christmas sweater party she and her friends had. She remembered drinking hot chocolate with Leon, watching snow fall lightly on her hair as they stood on his apartment balcony, even Chris leaning to give Jill a kiss under the mistletoe. She felt a rush of tears coming from her eyes, blurring her vision of the fire, threatening to spill over. She reached to wipe them when a hand landed on her shoulder. Wesker stood there, his shaded eyes seemed to be staring at the fire. She looked up at him and wondered what had brought him back so soon.

"Did you need something?" She voice shook as she remained still, trying to not to squirm under his touch.

"Not at all. I just came to see what you were doing. Needed to make sure you weren't doing anything foolish." His hand left her shoulder and he sat down in the chair to the left of her. He reached down and pulled out a laptop and began typing.

 _Are you freaking kidding me? I wanted to get away from him._ She shifted uncomfortably in her seat and found herself suddenly self-conscious. _Okay…what the hell is wrong with you?_ She spoke to herself very questioningly, _what is up with you? Get your emotions in check._ Wesker made a feel of uncertainty linger around with his presence. When you were with him, you weren't sure of anything, not of what you felt or what you were doing exactly. Claire noted this and decided this was what was driving her a bit crazy. _Aside from being infected with something that makes you inhuman, idiot._ She reminded herself. Her stare remained in the fire and she suddenly got up and walked to the kitchen, leaving Wesker staring after her. She opened a few cabinets in the kitchen and looked for a few key items. _Hell, if I'm going to be stuck here with Wesker, better at least make it as comfortable as possible. Two can play this game, Wesker._ Bingo, in the cabinet she found a familiar hot chocolate mix. Why Wesker would have such a happiness filled thing, she didn't know nor did she care. She was in the mood for trouble.

* * *

"God, Chris I swear if you don't close that window I'll withhold something very precious to you for a month!" Jill's voice broke through the sound of wind as it rushed a snowy gust burst into the Leon's Jeep. Chris was at the wheel and to Jill's dismay; his window was rolled down to the very bottom. That is until he heard her comment. Leon was in the back with his laptop out, searching for the place Ada had mentioned. Seeing her had summoned up the old feelings that he once had. He then took in realization that she would never settle with him or stop her actions for him. It just wasn't bound to happen. When he saw her, not matter how hard he tried, he saw something else entirely. He saw the world in gray. Not black and white, like he should. He took into realization that there were others, other who care about him, instead of someone who took advantage of him. His mind began to wonder and he found himself daydreaming about a certain redhead who made his heart beat fast. He snapped back into reality when Chris submitted to Jill's threat. They had passed the lab from where they first sought out Claire and continued down the road.

He raised his voice as the couple in the front seat started to bicker lovingly, "There seem to be cabins up ahead in about two miles. They belonged to Umbrella several years ago and tend to be rented out to employees and their families. Only two seem to be in use this season. You think Claire's in one of them?"

A shadow passed over Chris' face and he dimly replied, "She better be. I can't bare the thought of her being with Wesker again."

Jill spoke up, "I just hope Claire is alright and still…" her voice trailed off.

"Still what, Jill?" Chris' attention was on her and she saw tears in his eyes. She knew Claire was his only family left, and couldn't even imagine what her loss would to the man.

"You remember how Wesker was back before the incident; he was manipulative and his presence was enough to get us to question ourselves. You're lucky you never met him, Leon." His eyes caught her stare through the rearview mirror. She could tell what he was thinking.

"When we get there, proceed with caution. I'm sure he'd have the placed monitored." Was all Leon said.

"Okay. Let's get my sister back." The Jeep sped down the road and eventually found a cabin. They got off and proceeded to scout the area. After searching for any type of security, they got closer to the cabin. It wasn't necessarily big, but it was good size. With one kick, Chris bust the door in and they went inside. Each one scanned a room of the one story cabin and noted that it was empty. The rooms were nicely decorated with a vintage style. A bookcase was in the corner of the room Chris and Leon decided to discuss their next plan.

"How far off is the next one?" Chris asked with a rather disappointed voice.

"Half a mile down a path in the back yard." Leon responded equally disappointed at their discovery.

"Let's go on foot. If they're there we'll be harder to detect." His voice was strong, but Jill could hear the desperation in it.

"Ok. Let's go." They were out the door into the back yard in such a hurry, nobody took the liberty to notice a certain blink of a red light coming from a camera in the corner of a bookcase in the sitting room.

* * *

Claire had just poured the chocolate mix into her mug when she decided to put in another mug into the microwave. It just felt wrong not to. It was against her nature. _Damn you and your stupid feelings._ She couldn't help it. She felt as if she were obligated to. Why? The world may never know, but she did. She always brought an extra for either Chris or Leon. _But you're not with them right now…_ Screw it. She prepared the second mug and walked back to the fire place. _Might as well screw with him for fun._ She walked slowly as the chocolate threatened to spill over the rim any second. When she reached the room, she managed to catch a glimpse of a security screen on Wesker's laptop as she approached from behind. She didn't catch much; she assumed it was a lab somewhere. She set one mug on the end table closest to him and walked back to her seat. When she sat down, she saw the corner of his eye linger on the mug beside him, questioningly. _Yeahhhh….who feels confused now._

"That Wesker, is hot chocolate. A delicious beverage that one makes on especially cold evenings, such as this one." She said in her most sarcastically professional voice she could conjure up.

"Are you trying to poison me, Claire?" He lifted the mug delicately to his nose and sniffed. She took a sip from her mug and stared blankly at him.

"Drink it. I dare you. I double dare you." A smirk arose to her lips as a memory of Leon questioning her actions at party came up.

"That's rather foolish of you to suggest," Wesker was unamused by her sarcastic comments but his mood lightened a little when a smirk appeared on her soft face.

"but no." He proceeded to get up when she rushed over and grabbed his mug. She lifted it up to his face and pressed it against his lips.

"Drink it, you hard ass." She persisted.

Annoyance rose up in him but decided the setting of the moment was rather…humorous. She, forcing him to drink hot chocolate?

He reached to take the mug from her grasp but she tilted it, forcing him to drink some, as to not spill any. Most made it into his mouth, when some proceeded to spill all over her tank top and some on his pants.

"Fuck! See what you did for not drinking it?" Claire began to blame him.

"You wish to blame me when you were the one pushing the mug into my face?"

"That's correct." Her smile widened at his annoyance and she walked out the room with both mugs at hand. She placed the mugs in the sink and walked upstairs to change shirts. When she got to the room, she opened a drawer and found a white, long-sleeved shirt. She yanked off the tank top and proceeded to put on her fresh shirt. The door opened when Claire had just taken off her tank top and Wesker casually walked in. She stood there frozen with only her black laced bra on and the shirt at hand.

"Ever heard of knocking?" She said bitterly as she quickly pulled her shirt on over her torso. It was a tight fit, but it would do considering the state of her current situation.

"This is my room, Claire." Wesker grabbed a pair of pants out of a _drawer_ and tossed off his dirty ones.

"Oh, yeah of course. That's why I slept here for days and had some clothes for my size in the drawer." She couldn't help but stare in the reflection as his toned legs slipped into the legs of the pants.

"Enjoying the view, Claire?", he chuckled. He had caught her staring and made note of it to embarrass her. She walked out of the room, wanting to escape that situation as fast as possible. She continued to walk down the stairs with fiery cheeks when a beeping noise caught her attention. She continued to walk toward the kitchen where she found the source of the noise. Wesker's laptop was left wide open, leaving a view of security camera recording a forest, the looks of it. Taking a closer look, Claire saw movement amongst the trees. People were walking through the forest at a rather quick pace. It took her a second but she recognized the larger frame as her brother. His stern face navigating the forest with two others behind him. Jill and Leon came clearer to Claire as they stepped further in the screen. Excitement filled her veins as she realized they had come for her. She was going home. She knew this would be her only chance. That excitement was cut short when a voice rose from behind her.

"I see your brother and his friends have _finally_ joined us."

"Yeah well, being taken hostage to a cabin in the woods in the middle of winter tends to take quite a while to find."

An evil grin spread across his face as he spoke the next words, "Well, now that they've found you…let's have some fun."


	12. Gone

**Okay before this chapter starts I'd like to apologize for taking my sweet time in uploading this chapter. I recently started school and I've been kept busy with**

 **assignments. I hope you like this chapter. I'll try to upload again soon.**

* * *

Leon's breath was visible as he slowly walked behind Chris and Jill. He'd been staying in the rear, as to keep watch in case anyone or _anything_ tried to sneak up on them. They had walked down the path and soon came across a second cabin. A much larger one. It was two stories tall, and a smoking chimney rose up from the behind the building.

"Someone's in there." Chris' heartbeat sped up as he stated the obvious.

"What's the plan?" Leon questioned their next move.

"One of should circled around to the back of the cabin while the other two make a way towards the front. If anyone tries to leave from behind, someone'll be there."

"Got it. You and Jill take the front. I go around back." Leon waited for any objections but none came. He began walking forward, unaware of what events were going to occur.

* * *

"Wesker. Please I beg you, don't hurt them," Worry filled Claire's voice. "if you need more time for samples, I can tell….I can tell them…" Panic began rising in Claire as she imagined Chris' lifeless body in the snow. It would be entirely her fault. She would have been her brother's demise.

"Dear, I won't hurt them. I see no reason to. It'd be a waste of time." He paused, "However that Leon is becoming a problem…"

"I swear if you do anything to Leon I will-" A hand came up and gripped her arm, twisting her body toward his. His eyes red eyes seemed to burn through her. His eyes trailed down her face and stopped on her lips.

"Do what Claire? What could you possibly do?" A sense of failure filled her mind as she knew there was very little she could do. Now she saw Leon's body, bloody and tossed to the side like a ragdoll.

"Nothing, but despise you."

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go say hello." He was using that voice again. The 'death-blow voice' she'd call it.

"You can't be serious?" Her voice filled with disbelief.

"Well, I'm not inviting them in, so let's go." His hand was still around her arm, instead now it was dragging her towards the door.

He stopped before he reached out to open the door. He turned to her, placed his hand under her chin, and tilted her head so she was looking at him in the eyes. Claire froze in place as she saw his leaning in closer and closer by the second. A smirk rose up to his lips. Claire was frozen still as he hesitantly brought his mouth down on hers. His lips were soft and warm to Claire's surprise. She found herself leaning into this kiss that had unexpectedly fluttered into the moment. Her lips parted as she felt his tongue seeking permission to enter. She let her arms crawl up to wrap around his neck. As her hands passed up his waist, she felt the cold metal of a handle. She immediately drew herself back gasping for air as it had caught her by surprised. It wasn't like every time she kissed somebody there was a _gun_ at their back. Yet again, this was Wesker. But she hadn't seen it coming. She pushed herself as far back as she could, which wasn't much as his arm was circled around her waist.

"What are you planning to do!?" She begged desperately. "Tell me! Please don't hurt them!"

His face screamed annoyance as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a zip tie. He wasn't usually cut short by women. Though it was an attempt to play with the girl's feelings, Wesker couldn't have helped but enjoy the little scene that had occurred. Claire was fairly attractive and not to mention his arch-nemeses' sister, but there was something about her he found…interesting. He pulled her hands out in front of her and locked the zip tie in place.

"Let's go." He opened the door and a cool blast of air made goosebumps rise on Claire bare arms and chest. She stumbled over her heeled boot but was kept upright by the strong arm around waist.

"Your brother is behind the big oak tree. Call out to him. Now." He stiffly said as he let her go and softly shoved her forward.

She honestly had no idea what Wesker was planning. It was driving her nuts. She cleared her voice and called out to Chris.

"Chris! Chris I'm here!" She turned back and looked at Wesker. He stood there, arms crossed, obviously not affected by the weather. Claire, on the other hand, felt like she was going to freeze to death. She was confused. If Wesker was positive he was there, why wouldn't he come out?

"Chris! I…I know you're there! Please…get me out of here!" She was desperate and felt tears coming. She was so close of being able to leave. To return with her friends. She inched forward a little and was immediately yanked back by the shoulder. She was roughly thrown to the ground and she felt the snow biting at her skin. A boot landed on her shoulder, pushing her down further. The pressure increased on her shoulder. She could've sworn she heard something crack.

"Ughhh! Chrisss! Please!" She yelled at the top of her lungs hoping Chris would be there. And he was. He came out from behind the tree the second she yelled. He hands were raised in the air, the gun pointing upwards. Jill was behind him, doing the same.

"Finally. Took you long enough, Redfield." Wesker lifted Claire up with one arm and held her in front of him,

"You know Chris, I'm frankly getting tired of you and your _comrades_ sticking your nose into my business. Especially, when it requires breaking into labs and destroying vital information."

"Wesker. Let her go." Chris' eyes remained on Claire. She seemed well enough. Not too hurt.

"What makes you think any of you are leaving here without learning a lesson? Speaking of comrades, where is Mr. Kennedy?"

"Take it out on me. It's my fault after all, isn't it? It all comes down to me." Chris' focus shifted to Wesker. He was trying to determine whether had a gun on him or not.

"Oh this lesson will involve you _entirely,_ Chris. Don't you worry." He grabbed Claire roughly by the throat and lifted her of the ground. Chris' gun went straight up and aimed towards them He wasn't sure he could get a clear shot without shooting Claire.

"Wesker!" Chris shot in his general direction. A bullet whizzed past Wesker's head, almost hitting Claire's mid-section.

"Careful Chris. You wouldn't want to hurt your lovely sister more than you've failed her." He lowered Claire so that the tips of her boots scraped the icy floor. She was gasping for air now and Chris could see her desperation from where he stood. Her eyes were drooping as she was slowly losing conscious. Jill leaned on Chris and her voice shook nervously from where she stood.

"Chris? How are we getting her back?"

"Miss Valentine, make him calm down a bit. You and I both know he begins to act rash in times like this. Here, I'll make this easier for myself to deal with." He let Claire go and she slumped down to the floor on her knees.

"Dear, you're free to go." Claire turned back and stared up at Wesker. His figure towering over her.

"What are you doing? Please don't hurt them. If you need anything more from me, I'll stay, just let them go." As much as it hurt her pride, she was begging. She couldn't stand to think of the guilt she would feel if they died because of her. He stared down at her and used a harsh voice that made her flinch.

"I can't stand to have any more distractions. I suggest you take the opportunity now and leave before I change my mind. Not to mention you will be leaving here alive."

"What makes you think I believe you?"

"You have my word that you will all make it out of here alive. Even Mr. Kennedy, who foolishly decided to part from his comrades. He probably decided to take a back route as a means to find you."

She barely got her words out, "Very well. Don't make me regret trusting you."

She pushed herself up and was walking backwards towards safety. She knew better than to trust him. Eventually she walked to the point where she felt confident enough to turn around and face Chris. He was there watching her with tears in his eyes as she reached for him. His little sister was coming home. Their eyes searched each other's as she was nearing him. Hundreds of words passed between the Redfield siblings were finally going to reunite. Jill was keeping an eye on Wesker. For a second, she glanced at Claire. It was a surreal moment. Her red hair and black attire stood out against the white scene. Her white shirt contrasted against the rest of her attire. But that was all it took. That second her attention was turned away from Wesker was enough. And he caught it. He grabbed a hold of his gun and lifted it into the air.

Chris saw it happen in slow motion behind his sister. It was as if time has been suspended as the scene before him played out. His eyes widened as instinctively reached for his sister. But it was too late.

Claire saw his expression change and turned around to see what had caught his attention. As she turned around, she already had a sense of what was occurring. By the time she was facing the cabin, gunshots had rung out. She saw Wesker's arm raised and his gun at hand. She shut her eyes and awaited for what was coming next. More gunshots rang out. When she opened her eyes, and now she was face down in the snow. A body was next to hers and it moved quickly, flipping her over so she faced the sky. She couldn't feel anything. She saw Chris and his arms wrapped around her shoulders, lifting her head into his lap. He had blood on his shirt and hands. Tears were streaming down his cheeks. Putting two and two together, she glanced down. Her shirts was losing its white and turning a deep crimson. It started as two large dots, and then it began to blossom into larger portions. The snow around her was blood stained and she could do nothing but try to mutter out a few last words. Jill slumped down next to Claire, gun at hand. She had return fired a few shots but it was too late. Wesker had made an escape. She face was also streaming with tears. Claire took deep breathes and began to speak,

"So much for that…Re- Redfield luck, huh?" Claire chuckled and coughed as she began breathing heavily.

"No! You're not leaving me like this! You can't go, Claire! Jill, help me!" His voice was filled with desperation.

He was now taking off his jacket and pushing against the wounds helplessly. Tears fell from his face. She reached up and placed her hand against his cheek. She wiped a few tear away from his face. It was odd thing. Watching Chris cry. The only time she had seen Chris cry was when he had stubbed his toe against a piece of furniture at home. Even then it was always followed by swearing. She let a few sobs herself as she came to idea that she was going to die. Right here, in the cold snow.

"I'm so sorry Chris. I…I should've…I….Chris I love you." She let the last words roll off her tongue.

She heard a few shouts and then she turned her head sideways and saw a figure running towards them. She tried to focus on the face but couldn't. She recognized Leon as he neared. He dropped to floor as he reached Claire his face was covering in tears. He reached out and softly touched her face. His thumb slid under her chin. His other hand wrapped around her own.

"Claire. Please don't leave me. Look at me. I…I **need** you, Claire." Leon's voice broke as finished his sentence.

Claire spoke, her voice shaky, "I love you guys…never forget that." Her grip tightened around Leon's hand.

Then she looked into the faces she cared about the most and took on last breath, the last breath to move through her body. Then she was gone.

"Claire… Claire! Please! Come back! Don't leave me!" Chris was crying his heart out.

"She's gone Chris." Jill laid a hand on his shoulder.

"No! She can't-" He cupped Claire lifeless face and stared into the eyes of dead sister. "Please."

It was useless. She was gone. She wasn't coming back. How long they sat there, they don't know. Not long after she was gone, Chris wrapped Claire in his jacket and lifted her in his arms. He couldn't help but remember the times he had carried her like this. Now he was carrying her lifeless body. Chris felt numb. He began walking back towards where their car was parked.

Leon fell behind, walking slowly as Claire's death sunk in. He remembered all the times Claire had helped him pull through. The incident in Raccoon city had made him want to stick a bullet in his head, but because of Claire, he had made it through. He owed her his life, and now he was useless. His vision remained on her hand as it hung from her body in Chris' arms. He was just watching. Then it twitched. He stopped dead in his tracks. Did he see that right? He began walking again, as her hand swayed back and forth. He eyes never left her hand. It didn't move again. They got to the jeep and laid Claire in the back. Leon offered to drive and Jill called shotgun. Chris sat in the back and laid Claire in his arms. He couldn't stop staring at her pale skin. This was far from over. Now more than ever was going to find Wesker and kill him. He was going to do it for Claire. He couldn't get to her in time and now he had no other option.


	13. Leaving Again

**I'm sorry that it took me a while to get this up. I've been really busy and having writer's block doesn't help either. I apologized in advance if this chapter is a bit slow. Next one will be up soon! I promise. :)**

* * *

" _Higher! Higher!" The little girl's voice squeaked as her older brother pushed hard on swing set, making her swing go higher up every time. Her red hair loose and swaying back and forth with her movement,_

 _"Hold on tight! Don't let go." He shoved the seat, sending the little girl higher into the air,_

 _As soon as she swung to the highest point possible, she let go and launched herself into the air. She landed on her two feet and fell forward, as she had lost her balance. The boy ran over to his sister's side and found her crying, holding her palm._

 _"Man. I told you not to let go. Now I'm going to get in trouble. Let me see." He crouched down and took his sister's hand, only to find a wood chip embedded into the palm of her hand._

 _"I'm going to pull it out. Ready?" Her redhead nodded. A quick flash of pain was felt on her palm. She looked up at her older. "Thank you." She said with a small smile in her face, still tear ridden._

 _He reached up and brushed off a small tear as if fell from her wide blue eyes on to her cheek. "I'll will always take care of you and protect you, Claire. I promise."_

* * *

"Where are we going to bury her?"

Jill's voice shook Chris back into reality. Her eye's met his through the rear view mirror or Leon's Jeep. He was still holding Claire's body. He found himself unable to let it go. Especially now when old memories came riding up to the surface of his subconscious. His loss reminded him of Alfred Ashford back on Rockfort Island. How he had reacted to not being with Alexia. He now felt Alfred's loss.

"I don't know." His voice was emotionless and empty.

"Where are we going now?" She pulled over and turned back at Chris. She couldn't help but notice how peaceful Claire looked, almost as if she were just sleeping in his arms.

"I don't know?"

"Where _should_ we go?"

"Jill I don't know alright! I don't know what to do!" His eyes were red and puffy and his cheeks were stained with tears. She knew she was in no place to argue or lash back for his sudden outburst.

"Fine." She turned back around and dug out her phone. After a few minutes she had located a motel. She put the car in drive and started on the road ahead.

* * *

"Yeah it's four of us." Jill stood at the main desk in a motel. She slapped the money down on the counter and proceeded to get the key.

"Yeah two beds are fine. Thank you." Jill's voice seemed a normal, but her face told a different story. She took the key and made her way outside. She tossed a key to Leon who was leaning against the jeep. They got in and drove the jeep to where the room was, as well as its designated parking space.

Leon exited the jeep and the others followed suit. Chris was the last to enter, Claire in arms.

"I'll go see if they have an ice machine." Leon stepped outside, leaving Jill alone with the siblings.

Chris set Claire down on the ugly floral patterned couch that stood at the entrance. He turned and saw Jill sitting at the foot of the bed, head in her hands. Her shoulders shook slightly.

"She's really gone isn't she Chris?" Her voice was faint and small deep breaths were taken.

He fell to his knees and his teary gaze met hers as she lifted her head up.

"Yeah, she is, Jill. My baby sister is gone." His head dropped and was guided so he crying on Jill's lap. The next few minutes were full of weeping. After ten minutes, Leon returned with bags of ice. Where he went for so long, they didn't know, or bothered to ask him. His eyes told it all. He filled the bathtub with ice and Chris proceeded to put her body in it. He closed the door behind him and was left staring and his two only friends. The dark circles around Jill's puffy eyes made her skin look even paler. He neared them and stated he was going to bed. Jill made her way over to one bed and Leon to another. Soon after, Chris joined Jill and she wrapped her arms around his torso. It was slightly comforting, knowing and feeling Jill with him. In the bed next to theirs, was Leon. He was alone in the bed. Thinking about how Claire was gone. He had no one to comfort him, no hugs to dissolve in. No one.

* * *

It was dark and cold. Shivers ran down her body, though she couldn't see it. She tried opening her eyes but they seemed to be forcefully keeping shut. She saw an explosion of red behind her closed eyes and immense heat ran through her tense body. It disappeared as quickly as it came. She felt a coolness surround her shoulders and her torso. A voice in her head was screaming at her to get up. It wasn't over for Claire Redfield. It couldn't be. She remembered Chris. The look in his eyes as she slowly drifted away from the world she once knew. She remembered the last words Leon whispered to her as her vision blurred and was left in this dimension of darkness. She had tried. She fought hard to stay with her brother and all she cared about. It was pointless. She was taken anyways. Taken to this empty abyss where nothing but thoughts flowed. But she was coming back. She could feel it. It wasn't over just yet.

* * *

"Has there been any activity?" Wesker's voice reached the ears of the microphone's wearer.

The thin figure stood behind the tall oak tree, staring into the window whose curtains were carelessly left open. Inside, three figures were moping around inside. Ada Wong immediately identified the larger frame to Chris Redfield and the smallest to Jill Valentine. Though they had had never met, she knew enough about them the two to write a report on. Off to one corner of the room was Leon. His eyes were staring down to the floor with blank stare. She had found out about the younger Redfield's death about an hour ago, before she was rushed in to watch the remaining part of Wesker's enemies. It had come to surprise to her. This was actual news, as she hadn't expected for Wesker to actually kill Claire. But then again, no one is safe when it comes to Wesker.

"The three are about to go to sleep in the main room. The corpse was left in the restroom. May I ask what I'm doing here exactly? I see no need on watching them. You've killed a main part of the group. It'll be a while before they set off looking for you."

"I'll be needing a sample of Ms. Redfield's blood. Retrieve it and you'll have your payment cut out for you."

"It's not everyday someone needs a blood sample from a corpse. New plans?"

"Ms. Wong it's highly suggested that you do the task at hand without asking any questions."

She clicked off her headpiece and stuffed it in her pocket. She approached the room and stared into the window. Sleeping silhouettes were visible against the moonlight. She ducked behind the door and was ready to pick the lock when she decided to try the knob first. The knob twisted and granted her full access into the dark room. _So careless._ Not matter how weak the defense was, it was better than none. She scanned the room and slowly stalked her way to the bathroom, careful not to make too much noise. She walked into the bathroom and quietly shut the door behind her. She pulled out her phone as a means of a light source but something stopped her. She saw two red dots suddenly appear. She felt nothing but sheer terror. She had seen similar eyes before. She had seen them on Wesker. She moved slowly and clicked her phone on, light shining from the front onto a figure in the dark. Dark shadows cast over the face, casting sharp angles. Its' red hair hung to the sides of _her_ face. Amber eyes shone in the dark. Pale skin contrasted against the dark clothing she wore. Ada Wong was now standing in front of the supposedly dead Claire Redfield. Now she understood the need for a blood sample.

Claire had been infected. She took out her silenced gun and aimed at the figure. Well, she couldn't retrieve a sample if she were dead. However, the figure however did not move. Her eyes were very much resembles Wesker's. And, like Wesker's, they were filled with anger.

"Claire Redfield. Welcome back to the land of the living." A grin arose to the Asian woman's face. _Talk about opportunity._

The light blinded Claire for a split second, and then her eyes adjusted to fit her surroundings. She could smell everything, hear everything and see everything. Buzzing filled her ears, different odors attacked her nose at once, and she noticed the tiniest details on every surface. But for now, she tried her best to focus on the woman standing before her. She recognized her. Ada Wong. They had met briefly in Raccoon City, but the two didn't know much about each other. Well, Claire didn't at least.

She quickly reacted to the gun in front of her and disarmed the Asian woman. Ada was taken by surprise. She didn't expect Claire to react so quickly. Now left unarmed, Ada raised her hands in the airs, signaling defeat.

"What are you doing here?", her red eyes blazing at the thought of Ada working for Wesker.

"I'm here for you actually. I've been told to retrieve a blood sample and I intend to do just that."

"Tell Wesker that the chance I gave him for easy experimenting is no longer available. He trashed the opportunity when he pulled the trigger."

"How do you think the others will react?" Ada interjected trying to turn the tables on how things were going here. There was no way Ada was going to face-off a superhuman version of Claire.

She continued, "Do you really think that they'll just brush off the fact that you've risen from the dead and are infected with the exact virus as Wesker? That's a little naïve, don't you think?" A smirk tugged at Ada's lips.

"Shut up. You don't know Chris." Her eyes were still deeply glowing, the only difference being that they were filled with worry instead of anger. _Self-doubt._

"Oh Claire. How do you know he won't disown you? He'll think you're the same monster Wesker is. Which, you technically are."

A hand wrapped tightly around Ada's throat. She remained calm and stared down at Claire, as her feet left the ground. Claire's eyes filled with tears that threaten to spill any second.

"Keep your mouth shut Ada. You don't know what you're talking about. Chris still has a heart after all that you've people put him through."

"See? Both of you are already so similar. When he feels, disrespected, he moves to harm them. Like you're doing know." Claire's eyes widen when she realized she was doing exactly what Wesker would do in this situation. She let Ada slip from her grasp. She allowed her tears finally fall. Claire stood in the dimly lit room and tried to get a peak of herself in the mirror. She could only make out her red hair and eyes.

"Say I give you my blood then what?" Claire could only see Chris rejecting her the moment he saw her amber eyes.

"What I'm offering is a chance to leave this place and be moved to a place where nobody knows your secret. Wesker can think I only retrieved a sample, but In fact you'll be with me."

 _She's planning something. But what exactly?_ Claire was thinking of the scenarios that could play out. She had nowhere to go. She didn't know Chris would react to this, this resurrection.

"Fine. Take the blood sample and let's get out of here." Ada internally smile and turned off the light that was shining from her phone.

"There were some shoes by the door that you may as well retrieve." Ada whispered as she open the door that led to the main room. Claire, confused by the comment, looked down at her feet and saw she was barefoot. She tip-toed to the shoes by the door and Ada closed the door behind her, leaving a small round object on the counter before leaving. She found Claire standing over Leon gently reaching to brush hair out of his face. Her eyes filled with sadness. She stepped over and stopped her hand. She glared at Claire and raised an eyebrow at her. Claire's shoulders dropped and she walked towards the door. Ada glanced at a sleeping Leon and then proceeded with Claire. The two woman snuck out the door and were now gone.

* * *

"How much farther?" Claire shouted against a gust of wind that had just blown. They'd been trudging through snow for the last fifth teen minutes and the motel buildings were still in sight. Every nerve in her body was screaming, as she was aware of everything around her, giving her a headache. She heard a stream off in the distance and she was aware of Ada's heartbeat and aware of her smell. She was aware of everything and anything. She tried to concentrate on one thing, as it was getting difficult to think about her current situation.

"Not much farther. Try not to pass out, will you? I'm not exactly strong enough to carry you." Ada spoke without turning around. Claire eventually caught up with Ada and saw a road nearing up ahead. A car red car was parked on it. _I guess not all Umbrella employees use black cars._ Ada got into the driver's seat and Claire followed suit. When she got in, Ada had an empty syringe and cotton balls in hand. Claire stuck out her arm and allowed Ada to take the blood sample.

Ada turned on the car and sped off. Claire watched from the rearview mirror as the motel's building got smaller and smaller. She wondered how Chris would react to seeing her body missing. She hoped it wouldn't hurt him too much. He had already been through enough.


	14. Allies?

The sun's rays landed directly on Chris' eyelids as it rose out from behind the curtains. The brightness slowly awoke Chris and he sat up, rubbing his crusty eyes. His felt the dried tears on his face and got up to go wash them off. As he opened the door, the first thing he expected to see wasn't there. The bath was empty. Panic struck him immediately.

"Guys! Get in here!" Leon and Jill rushed in and saw what Chris saw.

"Where is it?" Jill's eyes widened. Leon stepped in further and noticed a small round object on the counter. As he picked it up, he instantly recognized a small butterfly on the lid of what was a make-up pallet.

"Ada." Leon dropped the pallet and it hit the floor, causing the contents to crack on the floor.

"What?" Chris turned and picked up the pallet.

"She was here. That's her pallet." Leon stood and faced away from Chris, unwilling to see the look on his face.

"So she took my sister's body!? That's it!? She came in while we were sleeping and took it!? Why!? What the fuck is wrong with these people!?" His eyes were filled with sadness and anger. His mind began to burst into action.

"Jill, Leon. Grab your stuff. We're heading to my apartment in New York. We can set up there and we'll try to locate any of her activity or Wesker's."

His sudden motivation and will to quickly get to work surprised her. She expected a bit more of the 'emotional broken-down Chris' to take over. He just kept surprising her. She didn't mind at all. Even she needed something to keep her together.

* * *

Flashes of red entered and exited Claire's vision as the wind entering the car whipped her hair around. She wasn't paying attention to her surroundings, though she should; she was stuck in her land on conscience. Had she made the right choice coming with Ada? It didn't appear that she was being handed over to Wesker. Leon had told her about Ada. How in the end, she only looked out for herself and her advantages. She knew to be careful, but had she already fallen into a situation she wouldn't be able to get out of? She still felt guilty about leaving Chris. He thought, no, knew she had died, and now there was no body. _I should've stayed. I should've let him know._ Before she knew it, they were surrounded by cars all driving in the same direction. They were on a highway head north. Where to, she had no idea.

"New York.", said Ada as though reading her mind.

"Oh." She wasn't disappointed, she just remembered Chris had an apartment in New York. She knew something was coming. She just had to figure out what.

*Several Hours Later*

It was dark when they finally arrived.

"Put these on before we get out."

Ada gave the order as she handed Claire a pair of dark sunglasses. Grabbing the pair, Claire examined them and pulled down on the mirror to get a better look. _Still glowing amber._ She could, however, see specks of blue starting to resurface.

Ada drove into a fancy hotel driveway and she and Claire got out as soon as the valet came to park the car. They silently made their way to the front desk and Ada was given two rooms. Despite wearing sunglasses, she could still see everything perfectly fine, as if not wearing them. When they reached the elevator, Ada handed her a key and said,

"I have a drop to make in a few hours. I don't suggest leaving or contacting anybody, unless you want Wesker to know your exact location and condition. After the drop-off, I'll let you know what the move is. Until then, stay put." Her voice was very monotonous, but effective on getting the point straight.

As soon as she finished, she left. Claire had no other option than to wait. She rummaged around the room and found nothing but a pair of scissors and some bath soaps. She went to the restroom and took one long look at herself. _You left when you shouldn't have. Chris is suffering because of you._ Without thinking she burst into tears and was left staring at her now-almost-blue-eyes turn into a deep amber once again. _You're a monster. You're like Him._ She grabbed the pair of scissors and cut off the length of hair that hung down to her shoulders. She then did so again for the other side. Her red hair now reached the base of her chin. She stepped into the shower and sat there letting the water run over, hoping that maybe she could wash away the guilt and what she was at this moment, as she felt she was no longer Claire Redfield.

* * *

 _*Click Clack Click*_ The sound of heels hitting the pavement echoed off the walls of the dark, damp alley. Her fingers wrapped around the steel case grew stiff as the temperature dropped. With her other hand, Ada checked the time on her cell phone. _9:59_ it read. Her timing was always prompt and precise when it came to jobs like this one. When her phone read _10:00_ , a tall figure stepped into view. Standing tall and in all black, Albert Wesker appeared.

"Now _this_ is odd. Where is your usual military monkey?" Nervousness arose in her as she realized the location wasn't the most populated. Alone with Wesker isn't a comfortable situation.

"Mr. Rodgers is taking a break after a recent outbreak occurred. Now do you have it Miss Wong?"

In response, Ada lifted the metallic case and it glistened in the pale moonlight. Wesker tilted his head to the side. From behind his glasses, he squinted suspiciously.

"Are there any questions you wanted to ask me about this job, Miss Wong?"

"It's best I keep my nose in my business, Wesker." She knew what he was referring to.

"How is she Ada? How was her reaction?"

"Excuse me but there is obviously something I missed, as I don't know what you're talking about." _Play dumb. You know nothing._

"Claire. Miss Wong." He pushed further, knowing that there was no way she didn't come back.

"Claire Redfield is rotting away in some hole buried in the ground, Wesker."

A dark shade of doubt crossed Wesker's face. _Keep your face straight;_ she told herself, _seeing him destroyed is the ultimate prize._

Wesker took the case and gave one more glance at the woman before him. Behind his shades, he was thinking what were the odds that Claire hadn't come back to life like had planned. No longer pushing the topic, Wesker gave a short reply,

"Very well. Just another failed experiment. It's been a pleasure doing business Miss Wong."

No longer being able to stand the nervousness within herself, she curtly dismissed herself and made her way to the hotel, hoping he had fallen for it.

* * *

He damn well knew Claire was alive. Ada Wong was smart, not enough, however to fool Albert Wesker. He wasn't a failure. He knew how his 'experiment' would turn out. This job was to see if Ada would come back alive and in good condition. She seemed more than fine when she left the scene. Obviously, Ada had done something to gain the trust of a super-human. It had taken manipulating, he assumed, as Ada had unsuccessfully tried to cover up some bruising around her throat. What she was planning, he didn't know. But whatever she had in mind, he would find it out before Ada knew what hit her.

* * *

It wasn't long before Ada returned to the hotel. When she got in she saw Claire sitting at the edge of the bed examining her forearm, with a knife in hand, There was dry blood on her arm.

"Rapid healing is a benefit of being infected, is it not?" _The perfect soldier. An agent as good, well, not AS good as me._ Ada grew confidant that Claire would accept this opportunity, even beg her for the opportunity to _kill_ Albert Wesker. With proper training of course.

"Listen Claire. I know we don't know much about each other, but concerning the situation we're both in, I believe there is a way we can both benefit from it."

Claire pulled her attention to Ada and pondered what was next. She stayed quiet and awaited for her to continue.

"I want Albert Wesker dead as much as you do. I can give you the opportunity to do just under the condition that you be properly trained for an extended amount of time until the opportunity comes. You and Wesker are on the same physical level and I can get you anything you need to…put an end to him."

Claire stood up and approached Ada.

"What makes you think I want your help? For all I know I'll be giving myself over to him."

"I can assure you that I have a direct motive for wanting him dead. None for wanting to hurt you, need I add. I just need some like him to do it. And, that just happened to be you."

"I am not like him."

"Denial won't help you Claire." Amber started to slowly erupt in her eyes. _Tread carefully,_ Ada warned herself.

"I mean I thought you'd be tough enough to handle this situation. Aren't Redfields supposed to be tough? Or did the virus wash that away." That was the last straw. Claire stepped forward and had both hands around Ada's neck.

"Do you know?! Do you know what it's like to be in this condition Ada!? I share something with _him_. The man who _killed me_ to watch my brother suffer. He who has done _everything_ to see us _destroyed_!"

As the grip around her throat became tighter, Ada pulled out her switchblade and stabbed Claire in the left leg.

It caught Claire by surprise, causing her to stumble back. Gripping her thigh, Claire stood staring at Ada and listened. Casually, Ada folded her knife back and put it back in her pocket.

"I'm trying to help you here. Don't be foolish Claire. Take the chance and end him. It's not like you have many options. Where would you go? Your friends think you're dead. Seeing you alive would cause them to think the worst, would it not? I mean you abandoned then once. What will stop them from thinking you work for Wesker?"

Silently, she stood thinking about her friends rejecting her if she tried- _STOP! She's trying to manipulate you! She's using you. Why are you letting this happen?_ Then again, she had to accept the fact that she and Wesker shared the same virus, making them both inhuman. Would destroying him give her some satisfaction? There was only one way to find out.

"Where am I headed?"


	15. Guardian Angel

_***Five Months Later***_

The simple sound of a vibrating phone echoed off the white walls of the walls of the apartment. The man in the king sized bed threw the black comforter off his body and made his way down the corridor. He passed a mirror on his way to the kitchen and saw his blonde hair tousled around his sharp features. He picked up his phone off the marble counters and answered the call he'd been expecting for months.

"Yes?"

"The plane just landed. She doesn't look any different than she did when she left. No evident mutations."

"Follow her and see where leads. Don't let Miss Redfield out of your sight."

"Yes sir."

With that he hung up and made his way back to the bedroom. From the entrance of his room he could see red hair sticking out from under the sheets. As he made his way back into bed, the young woman turned around and slid her arm around his waist, holding him tightly.

"I'm afraid it's morning and time for you to leave." Wesker harshly said in annoyance as the young woman grunted in response and rolled over, unmoving from his bed. He slid a hand under her chin tightly and looked her dead in the eyes and told her, "Now." The woman blinked several times as if taking into focus his eyes. In realization that she wasn't mistaken, her eyes widened and lifted her naked body out of bed. She made her way into the bathroom and the first thing she noticed were contacts on the sink counter, along with syringes and fragile looking vials. _This dude is a freaking pyscho!_ Fear overcame her and she put her clothes on over her pale flesh and quickly made her way to exit the apartment. Before she could reach the door, a strong hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her away from the door. She began yelling out of sheer terror as she the silver flash of a syringe. Its contents entered her bloodstream and her blue eyes began rolling back as she slipped into unconsciousness. He carried her body into a separate room that was under lock and key, as it was filled with contents used in research. He laid her down and strapped her to a bed and tied her mouth shut. Before he exited the room, he glanced back at the girl and was reminded of Claire. _Hmph. That was no reason for my encounter with this girl last night._ He tried to forget the Redfield as he prepared himself for a day in the lab. With no success, he left his apartment and was in a foul mood the rest of the day.

* * *

"DAMMIT!" The sound of glass breaking followed the scream, causing Jill to run into the room. Chris stood in the room, beer bottle in hand and a broken vase rested at his feet. On the coffee table was his laptop and from his expression, Jill can see that he stood at another dead end.

"No one has any lead on Ada! What the fuck! How did she manage to completely get off the radar?"

"Check with Leon. Maybe he's found something."

A quick call showed that he found nothing. Jill had been pondering how much longer Chris would continue this search. The sound of a ringing phone shook Jill out of her thoughts. Chris answered the call and Jill waited to see what was happening.

"Yes, sir. We'll be there in a few hours." As he hung up, Jill raised an eyebrow, questioning the call.

"BSAA. We have a job in Manhattan. There's an old warehouse believed to be used for underground testing. Possibly B.O.W.s."

"Chris. You sure you're up for this?"

"Yeah…I could use a distraction."

"Well then, you might want to brush your teeth. The smell of booze in your breath isn't welcomed when it comes to dealing with B.O.W.s.?"

He gave off the tiniest of smiles and walked towards the restroom. He didn't know how much longer he would continue the search.

* * *

The smell of coffee invaded her nostrils before she even saw the green and white logo popping out from behind one of the bookstores in the airport. Claire Redfield had just gotten off an almost 17 hour flight and she was more than happy to be back in the U.S, after being sent to a foreign country where she didn't speak the native language. _Hmph. China. Should've guessed._ Her phone rang and almost half expected to see Chris' face on the screen. Instead, it was Ada's number.

"Yes?"

"A car will be waiting for you outside in the parking structure. The driver's name is Gerald. He knows where to go. This is your first job here. Security's much more trained. Don't mess it up."

"Got it." She hung up and made her way outside. When she was in the parking lot, she sensed she was being followed. She looked behind her and saw no one. She quickened her pace and this time she heard footsteps. She hurried and a red car, similar to the one Ada used in their first encounter. As she neared the car, the window rolled down and an older looking man stuck his head out.

"Miss Redfield?"

"Gerald, I assume?"

"Yes ma'am." With that, Claire got in the car and it sped off, leaving behind a figure standing behind a tall cement pillar.

* * *

"The target just entered a vehicle and received a call earlier. I couldn't make out any words."

"Don't let her out of you sight. When you get to the location let me know. If she spots you, bring her to me."

"Okay."

He then got into his car and followed the Redfield girl.

* * *

The car pulled up to an old looking warehouse in the industrial side of Manhattan. _Doesn't look too bad,_ noted Claire. Ada had her do a few jobs in China concerning some pharmaceutical companies that were in the way of Ada's employers. Why had she done them? It was part of her training and she could use the distraction. Guilt was still lingering around her conscience but she did her best to ignore it. She had received a metal case filled with weapons and a flash drive inside. She found an earpiece and turned it on, connecting her immediately with Ada.

"What exactly am I retrieving?"

"Resources say that biological weapons are being made here. We need to see if it's true. And, find out what exactly,if it is true."

"Wait. Who is this job for?"

"A corporate woman named Excella. Don't worry. She doesn't work for Umbrella." Relief had been lifted off her chest. If she was indirectly working for Umbrella, well, she didn't know how she'd react. She was all ready to go when she noticed a car pull up a few streets back. She knew something was not right. Either way, she got out of the car and it pulled away the second she stepped onto the sidewalk, leaving her alone in the darkness. She made her way into the front and was surprised when she found it empty and dark. Definitely looked like no one was here of a while. She pulled out her flashlight and pointed it to a spot where the elevator doors where. She heard the familiar _*ding*_ and she ran around a corner wall and watch as a pair of women wearing lab coats walked out.

"Yeah. I heard. Poor girl. Must be terrified."

"Hey, I'm not complaining. Frees us from having to find a new test subject."

"Yeah yeah. Let's go. I don't want to be here when that creepy guy decides to finally get out of his office."

The second they left the building, Claire rushed to stop the elevator and slipped through the closing doors. She hit the button to go into the basement and waited for what was next to come.

* * *

"Sir, she's inside the building now. She'll be there sooner or later."

"Fine. See to it if you can get to her before I do."

"Yes, sir" Before the transmission was cut, another car pulled up to the building. Two figures stepped out of the vehicles and Rodgers recognized one immediately.

"Sir, we have another visitor."

"Who is it now?"

"Chris Redfield."

Silence was heard through the earpiece. Then Wesker's voice calmly ordered,

"Take care of Mr. Redfield. I'll deal with his sibling." Then like that he signed off.

"I would be my pleasure." He said to himself as he walked toward the building the pair had just entered.

* * *

From the computer monitor, Wesker could see Claire skillfully maneuvering the halls of the labs, avoiding any and all security; even with her all black outfit contrasting strongly against the white walls of the lab. _Damn fools._ Eventually she came to spot that required a key car to gain access.

"What now, Miss Redfield?", he asked to no one in particular. He was waiting to see her next. She began to look around and then she started to move towards a different room. Wesker switched the monitor and the last thing he saw was her walking into the restroom. Again he switched the monitors, and this time Claire was walking out of the restrooms on the other side of the lab.

"Where are you going?" The monitor showed Claire looking out over a catwalk, staring down at the activity below. From the look on her face, she wasn't anticipating that much activity. With that, Wesker got up from his desk, put on his long over coat and walked out into the halls, making his way over to Claire.

* * *

Chris and Jill entered the lobby room of the warehouse, weapons drawn.

"Jill. Look." She looked down and saw that recent footprints were noticeable against the dusty floor. They followed them into the elevator and began making their way down. The elevator came to a stop and they were greeted by white walls and endless corridors. They stepped out into the labs and were taken by surprise of how many people were there. The doors behind them shut and was suddenly opening again a minute later. The doors opened and from inside the elevator, a man in security clothes stepped out, gun aiming directly at Chris.

"Well if it isn't Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine." Chris and Jill had their guns raised and ready to fire.

Chris was the first to address the man. "I'm sorry have we met before?"

"No we haven't. But I did get the pleasure of meeting your sister. Lovely girl she is. Especially, when she's yelling for her poor big brother to come and save her. Too bad she's no longer with us, right?"

Anger flared inside Chris.

"What did you guys do to her? Why did you need her again after her death?"

"That was all Wesker's idea. Ada had been assigned to take her corpse. Anything after that, I don't know." Time was being wasted and he had had enough. Rodgers shot a round and it landed on an alarm at the far end or the corridor, letting a ringing noise to be transmitted everywhere. Rodgers then slammed his fist forward, almost hitting Jill til' she was pushed over by Chris, who took the hit instead. Jill got up and found that security was running towards them. Chris and Rodgers were throwing punches and dodging them. Chris then grabbed him and tossed him towards a glass window that was a wall for an office. It gave both Jill and Chris time dash down a corridor and escape a ricochet of bullets. Due to the security breach, all doors had been opened, allowing them to enter a large room that descended into the ground with at least 4 separate levels.

"Come on, Jill."

The pair dashed towards towards the door and descended the spiral staircase. Security personnel and scientists ran in several different directions as Chris and Jill made their way into the lower levels of the lab. The high staircase and open room gave them a vantage point and they decided to go towards a hallway that had a sign that read 'Prisoner's Ward.'

Jill was ahead of Chris when suddenly she heard a loud grunt followed by a thud. When she turned around, she saw Rodgers onto of Chris, knife in hand, leveled at his throat. She reacted quickly and shot at the knife in hand. A yell escaped the man wielding the knife as he threw himself off. He immediately stood up, clutching his right shoulder. Jill noticed his attention was somewhere else. His eyes went above Jill and stayed there for a few seconds before Jill round-housed him, causing him to fall over the shiny railing. He hung on by a few fingers and tried pulling himself up. By the time he pulled himself up, Jill and Chris were gone. He was left slumped against the railing and he continued to look upward, breaking off his pursuit of the BSAA members. Standing there was her. She, in her black outfit and red hair hanging short above her shoulders, her gun in hand. _So much for getting them. Now, where the hell is Wesker to take care of his experiment?_

* * *

The redhead turned and quickly maneuvered the catwalk hanging above the open space below. She was just about to take an elevator down when a security guard took notice of her and stopped her before she got any further.

"Ma'am I need to see some identification."

"Identification? Do I really need to go through this again? You guards have the worst memory ever!"

The guard noticed her gun tucked carelessly under her jacket and slowly reached for his gun. Before he laid a hand on it, a fist came up and caught him on his temple, knocking him out instantly. She had to admit, being infected had brought her a few benefits; she hated admitting it. As she dragged the guards body over to the end of the catwalk, a gunshot was heard, followed by the sound of an alarm. The next the she heard, was glass breaking. Then they came into view. Chris was running behind Jill as the made their way down a spiral staircase. Then another figure rushed at them from behind. From here she noticed his figure and the confident movements that he carried. _Rodgers? Ugh. Not this idiot again._ She witnessed him tackle Chris from behind and panicked when she saw the glint of the knife in his hand. She instinctively reached for her hand and steadied it at Rodgers. _Stay calm. Breathe in. Breathe out. Fire!_ She pulled the trigger and it bullet met its mark on his shoulder. Satisfying was the cry of his pain as the bullet lodged itself into his arm. He turned his attention to her and their eyes locked in place.

 _Message received,_ Claire watched next as Jill proceeded to kick Rodgers, succeeding only getting him over the railing. She watched as her brother and Jill ran towards a ward concerning prisoners. She stare down at Rodgers and gave the tiniest of smiles. They stared each other down for a minute until she finally put her legs into motion, leaving behind a bleeding soldier.

* * *

The faint noise of shoes on a metal platform reached Wesker's ear. An alarm had been sounded a few minutes before, almost drowning out the sound of the shoes. He followed the noise until he came upon a thin figure walking along the entrance of the hallway leading out to the main room. A gun rested still at the silhouette's side. He approached the figure quietly when suddenly its head whipped to the side, as it sensed his presence. The silhouette turned away and with one hand, it jumped over the railing. Wesker dashed to the railing and looked down to see the one person he was anxious to see. He looked down and the figure stood looking up. The light fell directly on her face and there stood Claire. A look of anger and fear was on Claire's face. Wesker then laid a hand on the railing and proceed to jump over. The second his hand was on the railing, Claire ran as fast as her inhuman legs would allow her. By the time Wesker hit the floor, Claire was running upstairs to the next level.

"You can't run from me dear heart." He whispered before he ran in pursuit.


	16. All the way

**I would like to start off by apologizing for the time it took me to write this. I must have written and re-written it at least five times. Other life things don't help either. I hope you guys like this chapter. Next one is coming soon. I promise!**

* * *

The last thing she expected was to find Wesker here. _You are not ready for this. You have nothing to use but two magnums and a grenade! ._ She reached the top of the staircase and dashed to the side, unable to think in this situation. _Come on! Think!_

She made her way over to separate platform and slowed her pace down. _Why are you stopping? Keep moving!_ The sign to the left read ' _Second Floor Prisoners Ward.'_ She stopped when she realized Chris would be near. _If he sees you here, what would he think?_ She continued the down the hall realizing that she couldn't keep running forever. She knew sooner or later he would find out. What his reaction would be, she wasn't so sure.

* * *

Chris and Jill dashed down the hall and made sudden stop at a corner at which they had turned. Jill's heavy breathing was the only thing heard in the hall. Then, a small whimper echoed through hall. The two stared at each other and signaled toward the door from which the whimper was heard.

They drew their weapons as they approached the door and peeked into a small window in the wall. Nothing was visible but the figure of a back that was turned to the window.

"Jill? Can you open it?"

Without a second of hesitation, Jill bust out her handy lockpick and began to work on the lock. Within a minute, the lock was open and they slowly pushed the door open, unknowing what they would find inside. Jill flicked on the light as they stepped inside and stopped in their tracks. The light allowed them to see the girl who lay in front of them. Her arms were tied in front of her and her red hair was messy, blocking her face. She hands outstretched in a submissive form in front of her.

"Please! Don't hurt me! Please!" She scoot her way against the wall and Jill was the first to squat down in front of her. Chris remained near the door.

"Hey," Jill's quiet voice brought some comfort in the room despite their location, "it's okay. We're not going to hurt you. Look at me. It's okay."

The girl looked up and her blue, blood-shot eyes stared back at Jill.

Jill automatically thought of Claire when she got a good look at the girl.

"You're safe with us, but we need to move. We're going to get you out of here."

"Please. Let's get out as fast as possible before he comes back."

Chris' voice rose from the entrance of the room.

"Before who comes back?"

"That one freaky dude. With the ahhh-the red eyes."

Jill turned and gave Jill a meaningful look, suggesting they knew who she was talking about. Jill took out her knife and cut the girl free. Before setting off into the halls of lab, Chris stared at the girl and pain sliced across his chest when he realized how much she resembled her. Chris checked both sides of the hall and proceeded to move.

"Coast is clear. Let's move." With his weapon equipped, they moved down the hall, completely missing the many small needle marks up and down the girl's arms

* * *

The only sound that echoed through the halls of the lab was the sound of sneakers paddling across the tile floor. Chris was ahead of the group and Jill was covering the rear. The exit sign gave Chris hope as he realized they would be out soon. Jill decided to talk and see how the girl got into the situation.

"So what's your name?"

"It's Carrie. Carrie Rose."

Chris turned the corner and they followed suit.

"How'd you end up here, anyways?" Chris asked.

"I was at a bar and a guy was there and well…we ummm…had a one night stand…" Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she recalled the night.

They reached an open room with tall walls. Catwalks lined the walls, offering a visual as if it were an arena.

They would've continued to walk across the empty hall, but stopped when Carrie fell on her knees.

"Arrgghhh!" She was clutching her stomach and yelling out in pain.

Jill ran to get her and starting asking what was wrong.

"Carrie! What's wrong?"

"My-ugghh! Stomach!"

Carrie was now on her back, shaking violently. Her screaming got louder but they suddenly stopped and she lay completely still in the room. Jill and Chris eyed each other worriedly as to what would happen next. Carrie then proceeded to sit up, as if nothing had happened. Her eyes began to bleed and she began twitching. The noise of snapping bones filled the room as arms began to twist and claws began to push it way out of her fingers.

Without waiting what else her transformation would bring, Jill and Chris began to fire. The bullets buried themselves in her now peeling flesh, causing her no harm. The now mutated Carrie got to her feet and let out a stomach churning screech. It rushed out at Jill, claws extended to its side. Quickly jumping to the side, Jill managed to shoot her a few times. Without notice, it swung it mutated arms around, knocking Jill of her feet and into the wall. Chris ran to her help and fired more shots at the creature. After four shots rang out, his gun was empty. The monster raged and slowly made its way to Chris. Jill tried firing but also came up with an empty clip.

"Shit! You wouldn't happen to have more ammo, would you?" Jill asked, clearly scared about their situation.

"No. You?"

They were backed into a wall and awaited for their death swing. But it never came. Instead, a loud shot rang out and the creature let out a wail. It turned around confused, searching for where it came from. Then a voice echoed through the room.

"Take these!" It was followed by a three loud clangs of metal.

Chris looked at his side and found two desert eagles and a grenade lying on the ground. He immediately grabbed one and handed the other to Jill. He looked up to see who had given them the weapons but instead he saw a flash of black and nothing else. It didn't matter now, however. They needed to focus. Chris raised the gun and fired.

* * *

Claire made her way down a hall towards the offices where information should be stored. She stood at a door when she heard it. A loud screech reached her ears. _Oh god. What now?_ She walked down the hall and eventually made it to a catwalk that overlooked the level below. She made it just in time to see Jill soar across the air. Chris was at Jill's side now, aiming his gun at the creature. Her ears easily picked up on the soft click of an empty gun. She instinctively took out her magnums and shot a round at the creature. Before she could shoot another she sensed someone watching her. She turned her head and there he stood. _Fuck. I am so screwed._ Thinking about Chris and getting him to safety, she rose her voice and yelled,

"Take these." She threw over her two guns and the grenade, hoping it would be enough to help him. Then she tried running, but it was too late. A quick breeze brushed by her face before arms circled her waist as she fell to the floor. As she rolled over to fight off her attacker as best as she could, a hand came over her mouth. Wesker's thighs straddled her sides and she tried to remain calm, but it was no use. Her eyes erupted with amber and she felt her strength running through her veins. She began to fight against him as she felt she had a chance of escaping. So did he or else he wouldn't have bent his head down and whispered in her ear, sending chills through her body as she recalled feeling those lips against hers on the night she died.

"Calm down Miss Redfield. I have no intention of hurting you. Or taking you hostage, I just want to talk." With his entire weight he pushed down on her wrists and lifted an eyebrow questioning her.

With heavy breaths she nervously answered, "What makes you think you think I'll even _consider_ believing you after what you've done?"

"Making your dear old brother believing you betrayed him is one reason." He smirked as hurt flashed across Claire's face.

Hesitation is what Claire felt. "Fine."

He slowly lifted himself off of Claire and offered her a hand. She stared at in disbelief while she sat up and then stood up on her own. She brushed dirt off her black jeans and waited for his next move. He walked quickly off into the hall and Claire followed. They eventually reached the room where Claire was going to break into. Wesker pulled out a chair from in front of the mahogany desk that stood in the center of the room.

"Have a seat Miss Redfield." He stood there, completely serious, enjoying the scene before him.

Claire, however, was not, "Just tell me what you want." She was not in the mood for his little games.

"I just wanted to check up on how you were doing."

"Bullshit! You did not tackle me and practically force me to some damn office to see how I was doing!"

Wesker stepped forward and had her at the neck. "I will not tolerate you being disrespectful towards me."

"Ohhhh…I'm so FUCKING sorry!" Her hand lashed out, catching the side of his cheek. A long mark appeared on his face. Her spine smacked into the wall as he shoved her. She brought her knee up, landing on his abdomen. It barely made any harm as his grip tightened.

"Dear heart, I did really wish to have a conversation with you, but as I see that is not possible under such conditions, I guess I'll have to keep you in check." His gripped tightened even more.

Claire could feel her muscles becoming limp. Confusion overcame her. Her strength wasn't being triggered like it normally should. She quit struggling and she allowed herself to be strangled.

Sensing her defeat, Wesker released his strength on her neck, but left his hand there.

"Now. How come your strength is failing you at this moment? It's not very Redfield like, especially when one has certain…enhancements, such as you. " He eyed her suspiciously.

Sarcastically, she responded with a smile, as she always did, "Why don't you stick a needle in me find out? It'd be a lot quicker.

"Oh how I've missed your sarcasm, Claire. But I did say I didn't have any intentions of hurting you, or taking you for that manner." His hand was now cupping her cheek, his thumb under her chin.

She tried her best to ignore it.

"Well, I give you a chance to figure out. Under one condition."

"That condition being what exactly?"

"You have to answer some unanswered questions I have. About the virus. And other things."

He took a deep breath, inhaling her smell. "Okay. Fine."

"Not here though. Chris is close."

He finally removed his hand and it rested at his side as he thought.

"Very well. Follow me."

As they walked he couldn't help but mock her situation. "For two people who claimed to be so inseparable, you do keep running from your brother. Why is that, Claire?"

"I don't want him to see the monster I've become." She simply answered.

"Do you really believe you won't come face to face with him again soon? Are you really that naïve?"

"Wesker…Please stop talking." Sadness filled her blue eyes.

They reached an elevator and they stepped in.

"First question: Did you know I was with Ada?"

"I don't think that's fair. We aren't at the lab yet."

"Doesn't matter. Did you or did you not?"

He remained silent as he contemplated answering. Finally he spoke up.

"I did."

"Did she know you knew?"

"I don't suspect she did. She tried making believe you hadn't come back, but I knew I couldn't have failed with you. You were…genuinely special."

"Why did you let her 'hide me'? You didn't come after me. I assume there was a reason for that."

"I knew what she intended to do. Making you a solider against me or as a spy to work for her. Having a superhuman like you has advantages. So I let her get you training. Even with increased strength and speed, skill is important. Any more questions?"

"Why did you have to kill me?" She barely got out a whisper. He turned to face her.

"You know why… It's just a constant battle of who can do more harm. If it were up to me, we would've been out of there before they got to the door." His hand found her cheek once more and he tilted her chin to face him.

"But, unfortunately, things took a different route and here we are." He leaned in slightly, but it was enough for Claire to notice.

"One more question." Claire spoke softly.

"As you wish dear heart." He whispered back with that voice that sends chills down her spine, his face only inches from hers.

"What do you think you're doing?" She whispered with a smirk as she pulled away. The ding of the elevator sounded and the doors opened.

"Where to next?" Claire stepped out into the floor leaving behind Wesker in the elevator. He smirked behind his shades and followed her. _Two can play at that game, dear heart._

* * *

A loud thump followed after Chris shot a last round into what was Carrie's head.

Jill stood there, magnum in hand.

"Chris, let's get out of here. We already know testing is going on here. We don't need her coming back."

"Don't need to tell me twice." He put the magnum in his holster and made his way to the stairwell. Before going up the staircase, he looked back towards the catwalks that lined the room.

As they escalated, Chris asked Jill.

"Jill, did you by any chance see who gave us the guns?"

She continued escalating and answered,

"I was about to ask you the same thing. I just heard her voice. It was a woman."

"You think it could've been Ada?" Jill stopped and turned to look down at Chris.

"If she's still here we could find out about Claire. Chris we've got to find her."

A spark of hope was seen in Chris' eyes. But as quickly as it came, it left.

"Jill, we need to leave. We don't know what else id down here."

"But if she's he-"

"Jill! Even if she was here then what? Claire is dead! There is nothing we could do. We need to worry about ourselves right now."

"Chris,"

"Jill. Let's just go home. Please. I can't deal with this anymore. Please. If I lose you here, I don't know how I be after."

"Okay Chris. Let's just…go then."

She hadn't expected Chris to be this far broken. They continued to make their way upstairs and eventually made found the exit. The halls were empty and they went out into the darkness of the city. They found their Jeep and when they got inside a message appeared on Chris phone screen.

"Leon just texted me." He read the message on the screen out loud, "Found something of relevance check it out. I think Ada's in China." The link attached showed a new article. The headline read, _Pharmaceutical Companies in China Sabotaged. Government states a security breach in system._

"China? You think that's why she hasn't been on the radar for a while?"

He gave a small sigh as he turned the keys and heard the familiar hum of the engine.

"Could be…Let's report to HQ first and then we'll see what's next."

They drove for at least ten minutes on the deserted road in silence until Chris broke quite atmosphere.

"She looked like her."

Jill was caught off guard. "What?"

"The girl, Carrie. She looked like Claire. Like a lot. Same red hair. Blue eyes. Pale skin. When I saw her in the room, I saw Claire for a moment. Thought maybe she was alive." Tears began to fill his eyes.

"Chris…"

"No Jill. It's not okay. We are going to find him and end this. For Claire."

"I'm with you all the way."


	17. The Banquet

**After finally replacing my broken laptop, here it is! Chapter 17! Alsoooo...I totally forgot to do this...like completely..**

 **DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY! That honor goes to Capcom. :) . I appreciate those of you who stuck around as well as those who joined us recently. Good to have you Love you all.:) Now back to the story**

* * *

The steady clicking sound of busy fingers running over keyboards is what kept Leon at rest during times like now. He had heard of the BSAA had given Chris a new mission, although he hadn't expected him to back on duty. He stared down at his phone and wondered whether he should text or Jill again. After the incident with Claire's body, he couldn't help but feel responsible. A soft, kind voice broke his train of thought.

"If you're going to send a message, I'd strongly suggest you do it before you run of out battery."

Hu turned and saw the woman staring up at him from her computer screen. Her light brown hair in a bun and her careful eyes stared at him with slight amusement, yet some worry.

"Thanks Hunnigan. Always so helpful. Shouldn't you be off researching something?"

"Well I am actually. And I don't think you should go looking for Wesker by yourself. Or Ada for that matter."

Leon froze. "How'd you know I planning to do that?"

"I mean I am technically here to assist you when you need it, and make sure you remain mentally stable whenever and however I can. Letting you run off to kill some mutant freak isn't exactly going to sound like I did my job. And did you forget I have access to anything you search?"

"Honestly? Yeah. I did. Now be helpful and please look in on Wesker or Ada."

"Sorry. My shift is done." She got up and smoothed out her white blouse and grey blazer. As she bent down to shut off her monitor, a small ding sound from her screen, signaling she had received an email.

Her eyes ran over the screen before they looked up at Leon.

"Well isn't it your lucky day. You are being invited to a banquet hosted by the BSAA. As part of the president's most trusted, you're kind of forced to be there."

"Ughhh. That's the last thing I need right now."

"Chris is going to be there. Right now, as a friend, you should be there for him."

"It's not like I have a choice. Where is the event being held?"

"BSAA headquarters. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere else to be."

* * *

The sound of her heels clicking on the tiled floor was all that was heard in the dark room. Leon sat alone surrounded by monitors. _Alone as always._ With that thought, he got up and made his way out of the office.

"Okay first of all, that _is not_ a lab. That is a corridor leading to the underground parking structure." The red exit sign hung directly above the door frame leading to the now empty structure. Claire stopped in her tracks and placed her hands on her hips, waiting for an explanation. Sensing her eagerness to stop, Wesker turned around and replied with a small smile.

"This place, my dear lady, does not have a lab in which I can work in. Neither will I risk them keeping some vital information about your condition. Now, would you kindly follow me to my car?"

"Kindly? You're asking me in a kind manner? I grow suspicious of you by the second, Wesker."

She crossed her arms at her chest and took a step forward towards the door. It slid open and she saw a single black Tesla in the parking lot. She walked towards the car and Wesker eventually made it to her side. His gloved hand reached out and grabbed the handle, pulled it open and waited for Claire to seat herself. She brushed past him, her shoulder lightly grazed his chest, and he breathed in her smell. He shut the door and made his way around the back of the car. He opened the door and he sat himself in his spot. He turned the key and the soft sound of the engine surrounded the parking lot. He drove out of the parking lot. It was dark but Claire could see traces of the sunrise starting to show. She rolled the windows down and she let herself be surrounded by the cool breeze. She turned to Wesker as he pulled into a highway.

"So, no syringe to neck this time?" She couldn't help but smile at the sudden replay of events.

"If you'd like, I do have one in store in the glove box." He smirked without turning attention off the road.

"I'll pass thank you. I will, however, take a nap. Wake me when we get to your bat-cave."

It seemed like only a few seconds had passed, but when she opened her eyes she realized it was more than a few seconds. Instead of being in the front seat of a car, she was being carried in an elevator. She looked up in the direction on which her head was leaning on, and she was staring at the finely chiseled face she had come to get used to. Her groggy voice broke the silence that surrounded the elevator.

"I did ask you to wake me up when we got here, right?" She didn't wait for a response. Instead she returned her head to the position in which she awoke in. Wesker chuckled at this and responded,

"Feeling comfortable, dear heart?"

"As much as I could possibly be in my current condition.", she sarcastically without moving her head from his chest. Once again he chuckled. The soft _ding_ of the elevator got Claire's attention enough to open her eyes. She lifted her head up and proceeded to stand. She hopped out of Wesker's arms and was awestruck when she suddenly came into view of the city skyline, streaks of daybreak becoming more radiant now.

"Hmmm…not your usual bat-cave." She took into view the entire room in front of her. There were only two main colors throughout the room. Black and white.

"There's nothing wrong with wanting something different every once in awhile."

She walked to the window and looked down at the life going on below. When she turned around, she saw Wesker emerge from a metal door near the corridor, metallic box in hand. He opened it and the familiar sight of a syringe brought Claire back into the reality why she was here. She automatically took off her jacket, leaving her in her in a black tank top. She sat on the couch and Wesker eventually made his way over. He grabbed Claire's arm and passed a wet cotton ball over her skin. He placed the syringe on her arm and the tip of the needle broke the surface of her skin, filling the vial. He placed the band-aide on her arm and began to move toward a metallic door in the kitchen. Before he punched in the code he spoke,

"There are extra clothes in the room at the end of the hall. Feel free to make yourself comfortable."

Then he was gone. _Well that was a dead end conversation. Well…now I'm stuck here and Ada will be expecting a report in a few hours…Ahhh screw it._ With that thought she went down the hall and looked for that extra clothes Wesker mentioned earlier. She took off her boots and placed them on the white marble floor. She pulled one of the drawers open and laughed at the contents on the inside. There were black lingerie pieces and undergarments. _Nice try, but no._ She found nothing but silky, transparent robes in the second drawer. Finally she took a look in the closet and found some t-shirts and some not-too-short-shorts. She unstrapped the knife at her thigh and removed her pants to put the shorts on. It was until she put the shirt when she noticed the familiar three starred logo on the dark navy shirt. She sighed as she was immediately reminded of Chris. _You should find him. Let him know you alright._ Her constant battle with her conscience never ended. She walked out to the main room barefoot and waited for Wesker to finally tell her what was happening to her. Seeing as he wasn't out yet, she roamed around some more. On the counter tops of the kitchen, she found a bottle of wine and decided to crack it open. With a glass in hand she walked to the main room and looked at her reflection in the windows that lined walls. The shorts that ended at mid-thigh were covered by the shirt and her hair was loose. Her eyes had lost the amber she was used to seeing now. The sun was rising higher when she noticed Wesker's reflection. She wasn't startle by it, relieved in fact. She turned and faced him.

"So? What did you find?" She stared up at his eyes, searching for any emotion that might be left in the man.

He ignored her question and sarcastically asked his own. "Isn't it a bit early to be drinking wine?"

"Don't judge. If anything I'm drinking because you haven't told me anything, and deflecting that question doesn't help." She smirked as she took another sip from her glass.

"I see you found the clothes." He said once again deflecting her eagerness to see what was happening to her.

"Yeah great stuff you had there. Now. Tell me what is happening to me." A slight sound of frustration filled her voice. His arm snaked around her waist and led her to the black leather couch. He took the glass from her hand and placed it on the coffee table.

"The results showed that the virus has developed a new viral stain. This new strain is bit more powerful and is destroying the old ones, thus why your strengths seem to fail you every so often. It's nothing you need to worry abo-" He stopped abruptly. "Claire, are you a natural redhead?"

The question caught her off guard.

"Yeah. Why?" She eyed him carefully as he slowly lifted his hand and it went over her head. A small flick of pain followed as his moved his wrist snapped towards himself. As he lowered his hand, Claire could see what had caught his attention. A strand of black hair was in between his fingers.

"What the hell? How did you see that?" She knew his vision has better than the average, but still.

"I noticed by your roots. They're also black."

"So I'm mutating now?"

"It seems so. However, I don't think anything else beyond this will occur."

"Are you sure? I don't need my hands twisting into claws while I'm grabbing a coffee downtown."

"You're welcome to stay for the time being, if it worries you."

Staying with Wesker was not something she would have been comfortable with in past times. However, now it seemed…different. As if he knew what she struggled with.

"I appreciate it, Wesker. Thank you."

Wesker stood up and spoke once again, "Now what to do about that information that you were going to give Miss Wong." Claire froze. Wesker continues speaking.

"I actually intended to meet her tonight as well. We had a meeting scheduled, you know the usual spy work I have her do. I think it'd be best if we go to her together. What do you say Claire?"

"I think that it would be best if I saw her on my own."

She stood up and began to back up slowly from Wesker, fearing an attack. As her back touched the wall, Wesker's hand passed by her face and now lay on the wall. He was leaning against the wall, staring down at Claire, closing her in. He breathed her in and Claire tensed up.

"You know what fine. We'll go together.", she submitted.

"Sounds great." His husky voice made chills run down her spine. He then lifted himself off the wall and turned toward the now vibrating phone on the counter. She took a deep breath and realized her heart was beating fast. _You're just scared. That's what it is._ Wesker was now putting on his jacket.

"I apologize dear heart, but it seems that I'm needed elsewhere. I'll be back soon so we can go see our dear Miss Wong." Without another word, he was gone. When the door closed, she slumped down on the couch tilted her head to the side, thinking. Knowing how much work he was involved in, she knew he'd be gone for a while. She spotted the television remote and turned it on. She flipped to a random channel and settled in for a marathon of Lifetime movies. Within a few minutes she fell asleep, left to dream about her constant battles of emotions. And she damn well knew Wesker was behind it all.

* * *

"Jill! We need to be there early! Can you please hurry up!?" Chris stood at the bottom of the stairs in his suit shouting up at Jill.

"Okay okay. I'm ready." She voice neared as she got to the edge of the stairs. Chris smiled as he saw Jill walking down with her light blue dress. It flowed nicely behind her and left him awestruck. Her hair fell past her shoulders and her earrings sparkled. She noticed this look as she finally got to his side.

"Please tell me there isn't toothpaste on my dress." She began looking down and Chris chuckled.

"No there isn't. You just caught me off guard. You look beautiful Jill."

She stepped up on her toes, despite wearing heels, and gave Chris a peck the lips. "Well thank you Mr. Redfield. You look quite handsome yourself." Chris stuck his arm out and offered it to Jill.

"Shall we get going Miss Valentine?"

"I don't see a reason not to." The stepped out the door of his apartment and were on their way to the banquet.

* * *

The men in suits were idly chatting among themselves in small groups and none took into recognition the woman in red staring down at them from the stone balcony. Ada scanned the crowds and was looking for one Albert Wesker. Why he had decided to make their meeting here, she didn't know but she had some notion. She knew for a fact Chris and Leon would be here.

Then she saw them. Chris and Jill walked in hand in hand. Neither of them noticed her watching them like an eagle watching an unsuspecting rabbit. A few minutes later walked in Leon with a brunette in grey. _You move on rather quickly, don't you handsome._ Leon and the woman walked over the Chris and Jill and greeted each other as if they were mere acquaintances. After a moment, Leon walked off and began talking to other men in uniform suits as he was. As he began listening to what the men were talking about, Ada saw his eyes wandering, until they passed her, looked elsewhere, then back again at her. His eyes widened and he excused himself and left the men talking. From above, she could see Leon looking for Chris and Jill, failing to see them. Then, he made his way to the staircase as Ada strode away from the balcony. She went down a hall and turned to see Leon following her. She stopped long enough for him to get caught up, and then she silently walked into a room and closed the door behind her. A few seconds later, Leon opened the door. She smirked at him when he closed the door behind him. Things were about to get interesting.

There she stood, in her usual long, red dress and black heels. The office was dark and a big mahogany desk stood in the center. Leon stared at her and did nothing as he took the sight of her in. She smirked at him a stepped closer to him. Her lusty voice filled the room,

"You're looking handsome tonight Leon. What's the occasion?"

He eyed her suspiciously ignored her question by asking his own.

"What are you doing here Ada?"

"Work mostly. I did also stop to see you. See how you're doing."

Leon stepped closer and she noticed the tears in his eyes. She did not, however, notice his hand reaching up and grabbing her throat. He pushed her up against the wall and moved his faces inches to hers.

"What did you do to Claire's body, huh? What sick experiment did you freaks have planned out? Don't you think her death was enough? I have had just about enough of you Ada." Emotion filled Leon's eyes. Ada ignored the hand at her throat, despite in getting tighter. She brought her hand up and placed it on Leon's cheek.

"I'm so sorry for what happened to her. And for having to take her body. It was an order given and it…had to be drawn out.", she whispered. "I know how close you were. I just wish it didn't have to be done?"

Leon's voice cracked as he spoke with anger, "Didn't have to be done? It didn't _need_ to be done, Ada. That's the thing. It didn't. But you and Wesker thought it did." His hand rose from her throat and was on her cheek.

"Do you know the suffering I went through? What Chris went through?" That was enough for Leon. He completely broke and his head fell on Ada's shoulder. With both her hands, she lifted his face to hers. His eyes met hers and without thinking, he lowered his lips onto hers. She returned his kisses with an equal amount of softness. He lifted her onto the desk and his hands hungrily skimmed up and down her legs. Her hands moved and ruined Leon's hair as they ran through it. He began kissing her faster and whispering in between kisses. Then, one word made it all stop. One simple name. _Claire._

Ada stopped and pushed her face away from his. "So that's what was going through your head." She smirked as he backed up from her. "I knew you two were close, but I didn't expect _that_ close. It must be hard. Losing a girlfriend like that."

"She wasn't my girlfriend. Why are you really here Ada? Other than torturing me, obviously."

"Torturing you? You seemed to be really enjoying it. And I told you the truth. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got work to do. I suggest you stay away from the main room around 8:30. It could get real wild by then." She walked past him, but stopped as reached the door.

"Oh I almost forgot. Here. Thought you might want to know what happened to her." She handed him a yellow folder, but he didn't noticed the other she was holding. He took the folder and watched as the woman in red walked out, once again.

* * *

The first thing Wesker noticed when he entered was the sound of some sappy speech about love. As he came further into the living room, he saw Claire lay lazily across the couch. Her dark hair fell across her face and spill onto the couch. He left multiple bags on the counter and moved closer to the sleeping figure. His eyes trailed up her bare legs, her torso, passing over the old shirt, and landed on her soft face. He crouched down and moved his hand over her face, brushing strands away from her eyes.

He placed his lips near her ears and softly whispered, "Dear heart, it's time to wake up. We are going to be late to our meeting." Claire leaned up on one shoulder immediately and looked up at him with lazy eyes.

"What are the chances I can completely skip on that meeting and just sleep."

"None, Ms. Redfield. Now you have an hour to get ready. I suggest you go take a cold shower to shake off any desires to sleep."

With a groan Claire stood up and walked over to the bedroom where she recalled seeing a shower. She turned on the shower and folded the clothes she wore before placing them near the sink. She slipped into shower and the room soon filled with steam as the hot water surrounded Claire. Ten minute later, she emerged from the room with but a towel wrapped around her torso. The first thing that caught her attention was the long black dress that was laid out on the bed. She got nearer and was startled when Wesker's low voice was near her ear.

"I think it'd look rather flattering on you don't you think?"

"Ummm..I-umm-I don't know. It's kinda-I don't think I'd look good in it. I think I- Do have any jeans I could wear instead." Her words tumbled out of her mouth, and she had no way to stop them from coming out. Her brain was completely focused on the fact that 1. He was extremely close to her 2. There was only a towel covering her 3. She didn't mind at all.

"Just put it on Ms. Redfield. I don't have time to deal with you self-confidence issues." Annoyance filled his voice.

"Then get out. Please." When she turned to face him, he was gone. Aware that she didn't have any undergarments, she grunted and looked at what option she had. Within five minutes, she had on black everything. The laced backless dress had a long slit up to thigh and she wiggled around in it, admiring how the dress actually flattered her image. Her red/black hair made her skin look palely beautiful. Looking down, she noticed a few make-up accessories and put some deep red, blood-like lipstick. She took one glance at the full body mirror and was amazed at how elegant she looked.

Wesker stepped in to view and was holding something silver in his hands when he commented on her look.

"Ms. Redfield, you look absolutely…transformed. One thing, however, is missing."

He held up a platinum chain. At the end of the chain was a red gemstone. He moved her hair over and reached around to place the necklace around her neck. She stared at their reflections in the mirror and noticed how alike they both looked. All black. Pale skin. They looked like partners. She shook the idea from her head and turned to him. Without turning to the dresser, she grabbed her knife and strapped it to her thigh.

"Just in case." She gave him a saw smirk as she walked away to the living room, hoping that she wasn't falling for the one she once called her enemy.


	18. Recalled to Life

_Classified._

The big red stamp on the folder held some power over Leon, as he feared what he'd read inside. _Just one way to find out what happened._ The first thing he saw was a photograph. It was a face shot Claire against a metallic examination table. She red hair and white skin stood out the most, her blue eyes hidden behind her closed eyelids. Paper-clipped to the photograph was a bunch of meaningless lab reports and list of viruses he'd seen before. At the bottom of the page was a stamp that read 'FAILED' and a signature. _Whatever they were planning failed._ He suddenly remembered Ada's warning and ran to find Chris, folder in hand. He came to the balcony overlooking the main area where he had first seen Ada and began scanning the crowd. Within five minutes, he found the couple talking to a very snobby looking general in a grey suit. Leon took out his phone, dialed Chris, and watched as Chris picked up his phone.

"Kennedy. Is it too much to get down here and talk to me?"

"Redfield. Grab Jill and meet me on the north balcony. I just saw Ada. Hurry."

Leon saw as Chris' face grew with a cold stare. Chris hung up immediately, excused himself and Jill and they made their way to where Leon was standing. Jill fell behind as her heels slowed her down.

"Leon. Where is she?" Chris looked desperately anxious.

"Chris. She's gone, but she warned me about something. I'm guessing it's an attack. She told me to stay away from the main hall."

"You spoke to her!? You didn't think about getting me before you did!? Leon that was our chance to get some ans-" Chris took notice of the folder Leon was holding. "What is that? Did she give that to you?" Chris reached out for the folder but Leon pulled back just in time to stop him from getting it.

"Yeah she did. But Chris before you look at it-" He was stopped by another attempt of Chris trying to grab the file. He missed and the contents ended up spilling onto the floor. The first thing that Chris set his eyes in was the photograph. As he lifted the picture to get a closer look, tears began to obstruct his vision.

"So, they tested viruses on her corpse? That's why I wasn't allowed to bury my sister? Where did Ada go Leon?"

"Chris I don't think cha-"

"Why are you defending her!? She did this? Just tell me where she is!"

"It's too late now. What we need to do is clear everyone out, okay. People are going to die is we don't" Leon didn't finish his sentence. His words were interrupted by the sound of a blood curling scream followed by a gunshot. The three ran to the railing fast enough to see a woman in a silver dress fall, clutching her neck as blood ran down it. A few feet away from her, lay a man, twitching, with worm Plagas-like worms dripping out of its mouth. The woman was lifted to her feet and they could see her eyes beginning to droop slowly.

"It's too late. There's going to be a major outbreak if they don't take care of her soon." Leon made his way to the stairs and Jill had already equipped a gun she kept in her purse.

Chris grabbed her arm before she made down the stairs, "Hey wait. It's the BSAA headquarters. I'm sure they have it covered. They can stop this from becoming a major outbreak. We've got to find Ada. She couldn't have gotten far."

Then more screams emerged from below Chris. He looked down at the hallway and made the split second decision to go and help those below. He hoped he had made the right choice because getting his hands on Ada was something he might not get a second chance at.

* * *

They were standing in the elevator, neither of them was talking. Wesker stood in his black suit; it had a bit more style than his usual getup. She tried to ignore how attractive he looked b doing almost nothing other than wearing black. Before the elevator made its way to the parking structure's level, the door opened and a skinny teen whose pants were hanging way too low from behind entered the elevator, dramatically looking at Claire from head to toe, obviously ignoring Wesker. He whistled and moved to stand really close to her.

"Damn baby. Where you going dressed so sexy like that, huh? Cuz honestly, the only place you should be heading is with me to my bedroom."

Obviously annoyed by the kid, Claire looked at him straight in the eye and sarcastically jabbed back at him, "Aren't you a little too old for a babysitter who still sings you to sleep?"

The kid scoffed and pushed a little closer to Claire, "The only sitting you should be doing is in that little lingerie you wearing underneath and on my lap. You'd probably end up begging to me to give it to you."

Claire gave him a small smirk, only because she could see a gloved hand reaching for the kid's shoulder. Wesker grabbed a hold of the kid's shoulder and squeezed until he was on his knees, begging to Wesker to stop and apologizing to Claire.

The elevator ding released the boy from his pain and both Wesker and Claire stepped out into the parking lot. Wesker placed his hand at the base of Claire back and lead her to the car while speaking, "I apologize for the scene back there, dear heart. Adolescent males such as that one don't know how to act when a beautiful woman stands before them."

The words stuck in Claire's mind ' _beautiful woman'._ _He thinks I'm beautiful. HA. Funny._ As Wesker reached to open the door, he guided Claire until her back was up against the car door.

"Yes, Ms. Redfield. I think you're beautiful.", he said as though reading her mind. He spun her around to face him. She stood frozen; looking up into the glasses she was so used to seeing every day, her heart feeling as though it might leap out of her chest. He lowered his lips dangerously close to hers and she was suddenly back at the cabin where she had first gotten taste of his lips against hers.

Instead of replaying those events, he reached out and grabbed the door handle. Claire slipped into the car and waited for Wesker to shut the door. When he didn't, she looked up to see him smirking down at her. His hand reached out and lightly tilted her chin up as he bent down. He pressed his lips against hers, his thumb passing under her jaw. Her hand snaked up and rested on the back of his neck, eventually it slid down and was holding his cheek. At the memory of Chris, she pulled away and spoke softly.

"This, Wesker, is the cruelest thing you have ever done to me."

He shut his eyes behind his glasses and huffed out a breath before responding.

"I'm very much aware Miss Redfield. My apologies."

He closed the car door and made his way to the driver's seat. Within ten minutes they were driving down town and Claire looked around at the surrounding area.

"Wesker, where are we going exactly? Where are we meeting Ada?"

"We are meeting her in a place not so private, and not too far from here. I'm surprised you've come to trust her so easily. Especially, since she's been using you all this time."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean look at the bigger picture. You've been the one infiltrating and getting the information for Ada, have you not?" Claire remained silent. "Exactly. That's something that leaves you very vulnerable to her using that information to turn your _closest allies_ against you. When she finally tells them that you 'faked' your death last winter, it was to assist the enemy. That way, the only person you have to turn to, is her."

 _Closest allies. Who exactly?_ She thought about who it would hurt the most if they found out she was assisting the enemy. Then it dawned on her. _Chris. Leon. Jill._ Another thought surfaced when she thought about having to turn to someone for help.

"Or you…For all I know, that could be plan all along. Have me end up trusting you. Either way, if I trust Ada or you, you'd win. You know Ada works on her own terms so having her discarded wouldn't be such a loss. You'd have a direct lead to me, which is what you need to advance your research." Silence filled the car. "Am I right or wrong?" She turned to look at him, though his attention was on the road the entire time.

"Something like that Miss Redfield, though there are…more complicated things involved."

Before she knew it, they were behind a tall building that seemed oddly familiar.

"Let's go Miss Redfield. We shouldn't keep Miss Wong waiting." He stepped out, opened the door for Claire, and led her to an entrance, which was being guarded by two men dressed in all black. They walked up a staircase together, Wesker's hand at the base of her back. When they came to the top, Claire could see a large, empty hall, though she could hears echoes of people chatting and soft jazz playing. On the wall, she saw a very familiar logo she had seen countless times before. It was a stamp of the world with four red letters stamped across it. _BSAA_. She quickly turned to Wesker.

"Seriously!? Out of all the _fucking_ places you could've chosen to meet, you chose _here_!?" She stepped forward and swung her hand in attempt to slap him. Her hand stung as it lifted off his cheek. The next thing she knew, she was being pushed up against the wall. Her back hit the wall, a lot softer than she imagined it would, and Wesker's hands were around her wrists, her hands against the wall on either sides of her face. His mouth breathed down her ears and she felt a knot in her stomach tighten. She struggled to get free him and he pressed his body against hers. Her leg kicked out the side and she tried to kick the back if his knees, which only ended up with her leg wrapped around his. His face was centimeters from hers and his voice made shivers travel down her spine.

"Miss Redfield, I honestly thought you would handle this little better." She moved her head to the side and looked away. When she focused on what was in front of her, she saw a figure standing at the opening of one of the halls.

"My, my. I hope I'm not interrupting anything here. Wesker I didn't know you had special lady in your life. Does this lady have a name?"

Wesker back away from Claire and stepped in front of her, blocking her from Ada and spoke,

"Miss Wong it's about time you arrived. I believe you've met Miss Redfield before. I even believe you told me she had passed." He grabbed Claire's hand and brought her forward for Ada to see more clearly. Ada's eyes widened at the sight of Claire by Wesker's side.

"Well. I don't know what to say I tho-" Within a split second Wesker had Ada by her throat against the wall.

"I don't want to hear it. If it hadn't been for my 'military monkey' my research could have been set back for months. I thought you knew better than to betray me. Now the information. Do you have it?"

Ada struggled slightly before she lifted a yellow folder near his face.

"I've also done the other thing you asked…It won't be long before-" ,her eyes wondered to Claire and she whispered the rest of her sentence.

"Good. Now, your payment will be delivered to you by Mr. Rodgers. I suggest you don't try to fool me again or you have my word, I'll make sure you are disposed in the worse way possible. Do you understand?"

"Loud and clear." Wesker let her go and she fell to her knees as she was beginning to lose her breath.

"Now I believe that you and Miss Redfield have some business to discuss. Excuse me. I have something I need to check up on."

With that Wesker walked away from Ada and disappeared down the dark hall, going towards the chatting and music. Ada pushed herself up onto her feet and slumped against the wall before regaining her composure.

"How did he find you?" Ada stared at her.

"We had a run-in at the laboratory you recently sent me to infiltrate. Next time, I suggest you research who's the head researchers at these things, will you?"

"Listen, I don't have for this. What did you find out?"

"No more than the usual. Testing's been happening. Mostly the usual Umbrella viruses. Nothing else is new about the ones they're testing. Why did it have to be here? The meeting, I mean. It's one hell of a location, don't you think."

"I needed to tie up a loose end. Plus, how could Wesker ignore a chance to ruin such a beautiful evening."

"You're talking about your evening, I presume?", Claire questioned

"Yes of course. Mine. What else would he enjoy doing?" Ada smirked at Claire, waiting for chance to take a jab at her. She felt betrayed. Something she didn't deal with often, but knew how to retaliate.

"Well, if that's all, I'll be leaving. Frankly I'm a little tired." Claire thought back to conversation with Wesker in the car.

"Where do you think you're headed? Off to sleep with the enemy? Is that why you wearing something that would be found in my closet? I didn't think you capable of such a task." _Careful Ada,_ thought to herself.

"I'm sorry, but I'm done working for you. I realized my time would be more valuably spent elsewhere, not doing the dirty work of some bitch in a red dress, who would surely easily betray me, as she did to a man, who frankly I'd rather cross the devil than him."

"Choose your enemies wisely, _Redfield._ He's not the only one who can make your life a living hell." Claire began to walk away but Ada's cunning voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Also, I thought you should know. I spoke to a certain Mr. Kennedy this evening. Poor sad guy, he truly misses you. But don't worry as of an hour ago, he's lost all hope of ever speaking to you again. If he were ever to see you again, well his reaction might be quite surprising. No doubt he's even told the rest of you little _family_. Too bad you're dead to-"

Ada was interrupted halfway through her sentence by hand slapping her across the face. Ada stumbled sideways from the force that hit her. When a knee came up, she deflected it and returned a fist that missed its mark. Claire sent a fist of her own and it connected with Ada's nose causing Ada to falter. The quick and steady foot work of Claire allowed her to trip up Ada, causing the woman in red to fall down against the wall. Strong kicks hit her sides multiple times, within seconds blood was dripping down her mouth. Claire grabbed her knife from the strap at her thigh, lifted Ada by her shoulders, placed it at the base of her throat and spoke cunningly, "You listen to me Ada. If you so much as try to speak to any of them ever again or I see you on some kind of vendetta against them, I swear, I will hunt you down and make you _wish_ you never set foot in Raccoon City. All I need you to do is look in their direction and I will end you. Do you understand what I'm saying to you?" As she spoke, Claire eyes burned an even brighter and darker shade of amber, the blue specks dispersing as her anger took control of her. Silence surrounded them in the dark hallway. The only sound was the heavy breathing resulting from the fight that had occurred.

Ada's eyes held two emotions. Fear was not one of them. Neither was worry. Arrogance and anger. Claire had bested her. At her own game. The eyes of the two locked in a silent altercation as they each mentally made promises to destroy each other.

"I didn't miss and anything important here did I?" The voice that almost seemed to mock Ada broke the silence that surrounded the two.

"No. Not at all." Claire slowly took off her weight of Ada's shoulders as well as her knife. Ada leaned against the wall, her eyes staring down at her little blacks shoes that showed almost no sign of the fight that played out a few minutes ago. Claire slid her knife back to its pocket and walked slowly towards the way she and Wesker had come in.

"You little-" Ada rushed out towards Claire, her used knife in hand aiming directly into her spine. Quickly sensing the oncoming attack, Claire spun around, grabbed Ada's outright arm, twisted it and proceeded to toss her over her shoulder. Ada flew into the wall and Claire stepped on her hand form preventing her from retrieving her now discarded knife. Ada winced at the feeling of her hand being stepped on by a heel.

"Don't even try, Ada. I'm not afraid of having to end you now."

With that, Claire walked off, leaving the woman in red lying on the floor helpless. Wesker soon caught up with Claire.

* * *

"It's about time!" Jill lowered her weapon and both Chris and Leon did this same as the final infected were put down and the area was cleared out.

"Damn. How the hell did an infected get into BASS headquarters?" Chris was the first to question the situation.

"Someone must be compromised. That's the only explanation." Leon butted in.

"OR Ada must've somehow snuck it in. Grabbed one of the staff members, infected them, unleashed onto us…" Chris rubbed his temples at the reminder that that _woman_ was in the same place as him and he was oblivious to it. It was his chance. He had lost it.

Jill and Leon stayed silent. While around them, staff and security were beginning to clean up the situation and open an investigation.

"That's it. I'm calling it a night. Let's go home Jill." He shrugged off his suit jacket and rested it on her shoulders, as it had begun to drizzle outside, and led her to then exit.

"Oh crap. I almost forgot something." Chris walked to the table where Leon and the folder were. Without making eye-contact, Chris grabbed the folder and walk back to Jill.

Leon stood alone, wondering why he had defended the woman in red. Maybe he wasn't done with her like he'd thought.

* * *

Chris sat on his couch and stared at the open folder in front of him. He'd read it over at least five times. At the top of the page rested the photo of Claire. All pale, her eyes, shut, laid against an examination table.

"Chris. Stop torturing yourself. It's too late to do anything." Jill picked up the file and put it away on a desk.

"I let them do this. It says all they were doing was testing viruses to see if it could bring back a person after they've been killed. They failed. It was useless. After, they discarded the body because, well, she was contaminated. They needed uninfected bodies to test on." Chris stared emptily into the wall. "I think I'm okay. I have closure now. That's what I needed." He looked up at Jill with soft eyes.

"Good." He pulled Jill in and they both rested in each other's arms until they both dozed off.

* * *

The steady clicking of Claire heels was the only noise anyone could have heard the moment the rain started falling. Her wet hair clung to her skin and face. Her drenched dress clung to her body as well; she walked out into the empty street and looked for a cab. She needed to get away from there as fast as possible before she did something rash to woman she had faced. She continued to walk, trying to ignore the small feel of guilt from beating Ada so harshly. It was until she saw her reflection on a window, when that feeling dissolved into the air. She stared at the amber eyes in the reflection. She saw not herself, but someone else completely. Someone with power. A rush of adrenaline surged through her veins and she felt unstoppable. She laughed out loud.

"You haven't lost it have you, dear heart?"

She giggled before answering. "No, not at all. If anything, I feel…more sane than ever." Wesker took off his glasses and tucked them into his pocket shirt. He raised an eyebrow and tilted his head to side as he examined the woman in front of him.

"You sure gave Miss Wong one hell of beating back there." He smirked at her. _Transforming from the victim to one causing the damage._

"Well, what can I say? She had it coming. Plus, she needs to be reminded of who exactly she's dealing with."

"Yes of course. One shouldn't lose sight of those above you." A clap of thunder broke the stare the two had been locked in and Wesker spoke, a small smirk inching its way to his lips as he recalled seeing Ada being tossed like a rag doll. "We should get going. That lovely necklace you wear well could attract some unwanted lightning." He shrugged off his jacket and placed it on Claire shoulders as they made their way to the usual black car. She accepted it quietly and slipped into the car, when Wesker held the door open.

Half an hour later they walked into the living room of his apartment. Claire shrugged off his jacket and hung it on one of the bars stools he had. Wesker walked away from Claire and entered the bedroom, leaving her alone. She disregarded this and kicked off her heels and proceeded to pour herself yet of glass of wine while she turned on the stereo that automatically connected her music purchases to the system. The soft music poured out of the speaker while she stood near the windows, staring out at city of lights before her, mesmerized by thought and memory.

" _I watched a change in you…It's like you never had wings…Now you feel so alive…I've watched you change…"_ The soft voice made everything seem dream-like.

"What are you thinking Claire?" The voice startled her out of thought, causing her reflexes to switch on and strike at the person behind her. As quickly as she moved, he moved quicker, successfully pinning her on the wall, his hands forcing her wrists down on either side of her face.

"And to think we might actually have an enlightening conversation." He smirked down at her.

"You must forgive me, as you so quietly snuck up behind me. You were kind off asking for it." She smirked back. "And to think I was the only one you held so closely like this. If I'd known you held Ada like this, I wouldn't have felt so special."

Wesker scoffed at the sound of Claire speaking like this. _You must be drinking a little too much wine, dear heart._ He had to admit though; he didn't mind it at all. Claire pried one of wrists loose and moved it to push back a lock of Wesker's hair that had gotten out of place when she attacked him. She let her hand rest at the back of his neck after smoothing the piece of his hair back. Now she noticed, her heartbeat was completely calm, not threatening to jump out of her chest like before. Little did she know, it was Wesker's turn to feel how she had felt. She slid her hand from his neck down to his chest before getting closer and whispered, "If you'll excuse me, I'd like to have another glass of wine." And with that she snaked through his arms and walked away, leaving him where he stood. As she poured another glass of wine, the song changed and the lyrics flowed the apartment setting a calm mood.

" _I watch you crying to me…With your knees open…I display you, taunt the beast again…cause' when you move and shake…that thing inside you comes awake…"_

Wesker's breathing became heavier and more noticeable. Claire lifted the glass to her lips once more, but a gloved hand grabbed it and led her to set the glass down. She could smell him, even before he placed his lips near her ear and placed a kiss under her jaw. The sensation left a tingle on where he had kissed her, causing her to move her head to the side. He grabbed the barstool and spun it around so Claire was facing him. He placed one hand at her waist and the other was cupping her cheek, his thumb rubbing under her jaw. He leaned in and crashed his lips against hers, losing control of his usual composed self. Her hands crawled up and snaked around his neck, one hand running through his hair, messing up his perfect hair. The slight tug of Claire's hands made Wesker groan into her mouth. She moved her hand down from his neck to his chest and let it rest there. He went back to kissing her neck and Claire let out a moan, causing Wesker to snap. He grabbed her by the waist and lifted her up, her legs wrapping around his torso. She felt a slight bulge at her thighs and she smirked at man who was carrying her to the bedroom.

He sat down on the bed, Claire on his lap, and moved to kiss off the straps of the dress that lay on her shoulders. She reached down and started to play with the buckle of his belt. With that, Wesker flipped on to the bed, Claire now underneath him. He ran his hand up her thigh and unzipped her dress from the side. He sucked on her skin and then completely slid her dress off, leaving her in nothing but the black laced panties he had in the drawer. He bent down and planted a kiss on her chest and left more, leading down to her abdomen. She quivered under Wesker and he chuckled at the sensation of her. He hooked his thumbs to her panties, drew them down and tossed them off the bed.

It was all moving so quickly, it seemed only seconds had passed from when she was relaxing in the living room to when there lovemaking peaked and slowed, only for them to reached their climaxes again and again. Eventually they both tired out and they lay next each other, panting and catching their breaths, after having used up so much energy to pleasure each other. Wesker turned onto his side and stare at his fiery goddess, her eyes lit up when she stared back at him, still amber from the moment he planted a kiss on her neck. He snaked an arm around her torso and pulled her closer until her back hit his chest, He muzzled his face into her neck, giving her enough comfort to drift off into a dreamless sleep, unfeeling, without guilt, if anything pleasure. As though she had been recalled to life.

 ** _Songs in order of occurrence: Change (In the House of Flies)-Deftones and Bitched Brew- Crosses_**


	19. Sorry

The smell of coffee drifted to Chris' nostrils, waking him slowly. He propped himself on two elbows and looked through the open door, spotting Jill in the kitchen. He sat on the edge of his bed, his feet hitting the cold wood. He watched Jill as she poured the coffee into the mug and set it at the table near a plate of breakfast.

"Morning, Captain." Jill smiled at him when she noticed him finally awake. He smiled and walked over to her. He sat at the table and watched her as she poured her own mug.

"Made us some breakfast," She smiled sweetly as she took a bite of a muffin on her plate,"I thought you could use some." He stared down at the plate of food and dug in.

"Thanks. It was very sweet of you."

"So how do you feel?" He stopped eating and stared at his mug of coffee, smiling at how much Claire loved coffee.

"I feel…better. I have some type of closure as to 'whys' of that night, you know. Even though I never forgive or forget. But now, more than I ever. I will continue the fight," As if on purpose, Chris phone rang, startling both of them out of them the small moment they were having.

"Yes, Redfield here." Jill raised an eyebrow and Chris put his hand up to signal it was from the BSAA. "Yes. Yes, sir. Not a problem. We can handle it." The call ended within five minutes and directly after, Chris filled in Jill with the details.

"They found another lab?"

"Yup. We're being sent in."

"Alone or with a team?"

"Team. They're a hundred percent sure this one's being used for testing and manufacturing, so we got back up."

"Nice. What time are we going in?"

"Mission briefing is at 5. The actual mission is at 7."

"Cool. I'll get our things ready." She didn't realize that Chris was following her until she actually got into the bedroom and Chris' arms wrapped around her torso. He nuzzled his face into her neck and he felt her smile.

"I want to thank you Jill for everything. I don't know what I'd do without you."

She turned back and faced him. She cupped his cheeks and planted a kiss on his lips. His hands trailed down her spine and found there way under her shirt. She smiled wickedly before pulling away.

"Without me, you wouldn't be getting ready." Chris sighed as he slumped his head when she pulled away.

She grabbed a bag and stuffed in a few extra shirts and knives and guns.

"Now. Go finish your breakfast. And maybe later, you'll get desert." He smirked at her as he went back and finished up before getting ready to go the briefing.

* * *

She lay face down with the black sheets spilled over her lower back; she still lay in deep sleep until a hand stroked her bare back and cool lips led a trail from her back to her neck. She turned and stared up at red eyes she had gotten attached to in a matter of days. She moved over and pressed herself against his body, burying her face into his chest, breathing in his sent.

"Good morning dear heart", he chuckled and wrapped his arms around her.

"Morning…" She paused for a second, wondering what to call him, "I actually have no term of endearment for you yet, but I'm thinking of one."

She looked up and plant a long kiss on his lips, which he returned. He grabbed her hips and lifted her so she was on top of him. She smiled against his lips, her hair draping around them like a black curtain. She hand reached down and stroked his chest.

"I think I should get now. After this many hours in bed, I tend to cramp up." She got up off Wesker and moved to the edge of the bed. She was about to get up, until his arms wrapped around her torso and pulled her back. She was on her back with Wesker towering above her.

"I would love if you stayed a little longer, however I guess it is my time to get up." He, without being held back, got up out of bed quickly and walked to the shower. Within five minutes, he was scrubbing shampoo into his hair, his eyes shut to keep it from falling in. The water fell around him, taking the shampoo with it. Unexpectedly, he felt a hand at his abdomen. His instincts took over, and quickly spun around and had his hand at the throat of the person behind him.

"Well if you're into this kinda thing too, I guess we can try it. Just go easy on me." He quickly let go of Claire and slumped his head down against her shoulders.

"Dammit Claire. I could've killed you." She slithered out of his arms and stood under the falling water, "But you didn't."

He shook his head laughing, "You are crazy. You know that." He planted a kiss on her shoulder, his hand already trailing down to her side.

"So I've been told." She grabbed his hand and led it to the top of his head. "Don't let me stop you from showering." Five minutes later, Wesker emerged from the steamy room alone. He got dressed and made his way to the kitchen. He was typing away when Claire entered the living room.

"Dear heart? How would you feel about joining me at the lab today?" He asked without looking up from his screen.

She gave him a strange look before answering, "You running tests today?"

"No. I just need to check up on some things I've been working on recently and I could use someone to make it bearable to be around those idiots."

She was hesitant answering and Wesker noticed it.

"What's wrong. dear heart?" He stood and got nearer to Claire, ready to use his charm to get her to join him.

"Nothing it's just...I-" He cut her off.

"You're not regretting anything are, dear heart?" He placed his hand at her lower back and moved it in circles, trying to comfort her.

"No no. It's not that."

"Then what?"

"Nothing. I'll come with you."

"Thank you, dear heart. I'm glad to know that." He smirked at her and planted a kiss on her forehead before returning to his laptop. "I have some extra clothes you might find to your liking in the shopping bags in the room closest."

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?!" She sarcastically noted, looking down at his STARTS shirt and her black underwear.

He stood up, grabbed her hips, and lifted her onto the counter, simultaneous burying his face into her neck.

"What's wrong is that, despite how delicious you look in that shirt, I don't want those lonely scientists thinking of you in any other way than you being _mine_."

She sat there, softly chuckling at the sensation of his hair against her chin, respond with, "Okay. I'll go get dressed."

She hopped off the counter and went to look for what she was going to wear. In the bags were a variety of black clothes. In the end, she decided on pair of leather jeans, a tight corset-like vest over her usual tank top, and pair of heeled boots. When she walked back to Wesker, he had already packed his laptop and files of paper into his briefcase.

"Ready? I suggest you take a jacket. Storm clouds are rolling in soon." He looked up and down his angel of darkness and smirked, pleased with how well they matched, a perfect pair. Claire returned with a long overcoat on and he reached opened the door. When the exited the apartment, Wesker cupped her face and gave her a brief kiss.

"Let's go, dear heart. We'll return soon enough." Then they made their way to the lab.

* * *

She had just finished strapping on her bulletproof vest when Chris came in, fully suited, with duffle bag filled with different weapons. He handed Jill two handguns, which she proceeded to tuck into the holsters at her sides, and she slung a sub-machine gun over her torso. When they were fully suited and armed, they stood in the large garage, filled with about 12 other soldiers and tactical vehicles. The pair made their way to their assigned car and got ready to set out. Chris stood at the hood of his car, looking out at the other soldiers, waiting to leave, when one amongst the crowd caught his eye. Leon, dressed in gears as well, stood talking idly with the others. Leon soon also saw Chris eyeing him down from here he stood. Leon walked over to Chris, but before he could say anything, Chris cupped his hands together around his mouth and made an announcement.

"Alright soldiers, gather around. Now this base we're going to infiltrate has been confirmed for creating and testing biological weaponry. Now when we go in there, stay together and watch each other's backs. We don't have confirmation of any new B. . but we can never be sure." Chris avoided looking at Leon the entire time.

"You'll be split up into 3 squads, each with its own captain. Gonzalez will be captain of Bravo, Fischbach of Charlie and I will captain Alpha. My squad will consist of Agents Valentine, Smith, and…" He finally returned Leon gaze when he said the last name "Ryan. Rest of you find your group. We leave in five." He stepped down and got into the vehicle, waiting for them to finally head out. Jill sat in the passenger seat. Out of the corner of his eye, Chris saw Leon get nearer to them.

"Chris. Look-" He was cut off.

"Kennedy. I don't have time for this. Get back with your squad."

"Listen to me. Look I'm sorry. Okay? I don't know why I associated myself with her. You know damn well I cared for her as much as you did, so stop acting like I'm one of those who did took her from you….from all of us."

Chris stared back at him with empty eyes.

"Kennedy. Get back to your squad. Time to set out." With that Leon stepped back from the car and watched as Chris drove away. He made his way to his squad and got ready for the mission ahead.

* * *

The strong smell of rotting flesh drifted to Claire nostrils, slowly bringing her to face the fact that she was in laboratory that was both possibly owned by Umbrella and used to make biological weapons, the same ones that gave her nightmares years ago, and she was in no danger at all. The countless shiny surfaces had notes scattered around. She was dozing off looking into an empty room, where she expected to see a creature but saw nothing. She was startled suddenly when a loud thump hit the glass that was separating the observation room from the holding cell. A green stump was standing. A hand rested at her shoulder and Wesker's voice filled the quiet room.

"Hunters. We've been improving the original design of them to be more lethal." Slowly, more hunters began emerging from behind the first that hit the window.

"Damn. How many are in there?"

"About 10. We have more elsewhere." She pulled her attention aways from room and looked at the clock that slowly ticked away, though it seemed not to have moved in the last ten minutes.

"When are we leaving? I can feel a migraine starting to come on." She stood up and smiled weakly at her attempt to get far away from where she sat. A small beep interrupted his response.

"Actually according to this message, I am needed elsewhere, but I do have a separate office where you can get some rest. I'll take you there on my way to the other wing." Before she knew it she was in a dark mahogany room with tall bookshelves and a place that looked good enough for a nap. She turned round and gave him a peck on the cheek before he left.

"Dear heart, if anything happens, don't leave the room, I'll come and get you. But _if_ anything happens, and the self destruct has been initiated due to an outbreak, there are a some weapons in the closet."

"I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. Plus, I'm a superhuman, remember?" She grinned at him as he pulled her in for a long kiss.

"Yeah yeah. Just don't forget, that doesn't mean you can't die." He slipped out the room, leaving her alone, and made his way to the new experiment we was eager to try out.

Claire laid down on the couch before drifting off to sleep.

When she awoke, she was surprised to hear a loud buzzer waking her instead of her blonde-haired lover. She could hear an alarm in the distance and outside her door. She tossed off her coat that she had used as a blanket and made her way to the monitor that was the only light source of the room at the moment. The screen read, ' _Security breach. Sector 1, 2, 3.'_ She had a full view of multiple hallways and she saw groups of four in tactical gear making their way down each one.

"Shit. That's where we were…" She checked the time at the bottom of the monitor, "fuuck, two hours ago!" She dashed to the closet and saw multiple weapons. She strapped a few knives to her back holster and at her boots, holstered two handguns at her hips, another in her cross body, before putting on her long over coat. She took a flash grenade and an assault rifle before stepping out into the corridor. She looked both ways before dashing to the left. She ran skillfully and carefully as she maneuvered the identical corridors. She tossed herself to the right as she heard gunshots ring out, only realizing moments later that they were anywhere near her, just echoing down the hall. She took a deep breath, picked herself up, and dash down the corridor until she busted into the room she and Wesker were in earlier.

The lights inside came on the second she came in; she knew they were long gone.

"God dammit Wesker," She turned back and from the corner of her eye she could see a group advancing to the hall from which she came. She pressed her back against the door and stayed quiet until she heard the voice of a man giving orders. _I got to find the exit._ The voice seemed familiar but she wasn't sure, for the mask worn muffled his voice. The few words she could make out was _hall, search,_ and _go._

The heavy thuds of their boots against the tiled floor getting closer signaled Claire, telling her she had to move fast. _It's now or never,_ she thought as she pulled her hood over her face and stepped out from behind the wall, not sure about what was about to happen next.

* * *

Making their way to the entrance of the lab was easy. They had managed to get the guards during their shift switch. Fighting inside was a completely different story. The guards were well armed and it didn't take long before the entire laboratory was ringing and usual madness of white coats scattering took over.

Chris and his squad were the first to make it to the second floor heading down. Jill manage to get a lead onto were the main researchers were supposed to be heading their operations. Eventually, the got to a sector that seemed to be completely evacuated yet something about the place seemed odd.

"Tread carefully." Chris' stern voice filled the hall. Shots were fired when a group of Umbrella guards found Alpha Squad. Chris managed to take out 3 of the 5. The other 2 were taken out quickly from behind. From behind the dead guards, Chris could see one of Charlie Squads soldiers. As he got closer, Chris recognized the stride of the soldier's walk.

"What's aren't you with your squad, Kennedy?"

"Was told to find you. Said you needed backup."

"I didn't ask for any."

A voice broke through the already escalating discussion, "I did." Chris turned to see Jill kneeling on the floor near a fallen squad member.

"Shit." Chris made his way over, pulling off his mask as he bent down to his comrade.

"He's gone." Jill said as she finished looking for any signs of life in him.

A silence passed between them for a minute before Chris reached down and yanked off his squad members dog tag.

"Let's keep moving." From down the hall, they heard the echo of running footsteps and the sound of an opening door. "Move." They pulled their masks down and jogged down the hall, hoping to catch up to whoever made the noise. They got to where the noise was heard before Chris signaled them to stop. He sensed the presence of someone else. They weren't alone. He noticed a small space leading to a room where someone could be possibly hiding.

"Alright. Down this hall. Search each room. Go." Weapons raised, they slowly went to each door and checked the rooms, one by one.

They lowered their weapons until, they heard the click of shoes. They looked up to see a slender figure, dressed in black from head to toe, emerge from one doorway farest from them. They locked on the target, unable to see any features than the body figure and were ready to fire until they heard a heavy thud hit the tiles they stood on.

* * *

She didn't take a chance. The second she stepped out from behind the wall, she turned away, only looking to armed men for a few seconds before she brought her arm up, releasing the grenade from her hand. It flew and skidded across the floor before going off at the feet of the group. It gave her enough time to dash down the hall, where she'd come to find even more armed men.

Shots rang out towards her. She felt pain shoot up her side and she tossed herself to the floor. She grabbed her rifle and fired towards them, sending them scrambling for cover. She dragged herself to a standing position on the wall and shot to their direction once more before trying to run back to where she came from. It was no good.

They were running towards her from both directions. She stood there completely trapped, nowhere to go. Superhuman or not, she was severely outnumbered.

She looked forward, a large glass window that looked down to the floors below was the only place not blocked from the two sides. _Here we go._ She took out one for her handguns and shot at the glass, seconds before she ran and threw herself against it.

Glass shattering, gunshots, and shouting was all she heard as she plunged into the levels below.

* * *

Trapped like a hound. That was the description Chris used when he saw the black figure in a trance. Block from both directions. It was clutching it's side, despite the black clothes, blood was visible, as it was dripping to the floor. It drew its weapon. Then it raised its gun at the window, shots rang out, and the last thing Chris saw was the figure falling into the levels below.

"Shit," immediately he reached for his radio, "Bravo, this is Alpha, suspect in all black was spotted headed down onto lower levels. Keep an eye out. Consider dangerous. I want that person alive."

"Roger that."

Chris turned back to his squad, "Let's go see if we can catch up. There's no way whoever that was fell two stories without breaking something"

They walked down the hall to an elevator where the silence lingered until Jill broke it.

"Chris. What if that person is like Wesker? You know with the whole speed and strength thing?"

"I don't know. I don't think so. Wesker is the only one with the means to create something like himself. Even then, he would not let anyone have the level of strength he has. They would be a liability. Plus, he cares for no one but himself. Giving someone else that would be too generous."

God he hoped it wasn't someone like Wesker. Despite the number of people they had, it wouldn't be enough. He had to stay alive. He wasn't done getting revenge.

* * *

She was engulfed by air for a few moments before landing on a desk below. She landed, knees bent, her gunshot wound already healed. So far, very little activity was seen all around this level of the lab. She took her time finding an office she would hide out in. When she came to, she was looking at a computer monitor with multiple camera angles looking around one single room, the night vision was on. She was able to make out tiny figures that walked into the view of the cameras and Claire focused on three particular ones. They seemed familiar. There was something about them that she couldn't put her finger on.

A few moments later, the lights came on and all of the armed soldiers stood still, clearly shocked by the lights.

The door behind them rolled shut. They tried to get them open but their struggle was pointless. The door wasn't going to budge.

The one soldier that led the group looked up into the camera before removing his mask.

She stood stunned. Claire was looking into the face of her one and only brother.

"Chris…." She looked closely at his face. He looked worn down and tired, the dark circles under his eyes dramatically made his face look pale. She felt a tear slip from her cheek and land on her hand.

One by one the rest of the group took off their masks. Jill was next to Chris, and behind her was Leon. The rest were others she didn't recognize. She took her attention off the screen when a small message popped up from the corner of the monitor.

 _Hunters ready for release. Test 1. Recording progress._

Her mind began to race. _Test 1. Hunters._ There was no way in hell that would be a good thing. She looked back at the square where she could see her brother and the rest looking around for a way to exit.

There was a sudden movement from the group and they all had their guns raised. She followed to see what they were pointing at. At the other end of the room, a door lifted up and slowly Hunters began walking and crawling their way out. The Hunters didn't seem to notice the group until one member accidentally let his mask fall from his grip.

The second that mask hit the floor, all the Hunters snapped into attack mode and rushed at the group.

"Shit! Chris!" She couldn't bear the thought of watching her brother get torn apart on a screen. She noted the room and ran as fast as her superhuman legs could take her. She didn't care about anything else at this point. She had to save them, as they tried to save her. The second the door closed behind her, a second message popped up.

 _Tyrant ready for release. ETA 5 minutes._

* * *

Hunters. Chris remembered them well. In the mansion, it had almost killed Rebecca and him countless times. The green talons scratched the tile as they each stepped forward slowly, ignoring them until the clink of a mask hit the floor.

Their fat necks snapped towards them and attacked without hesitation. Chris jumped to the side, avoiding the talons by an inch.

Gunshots rang out from the group behind him. One fallen Hunter lay on the floor twitching and the rest began to spring into action as well.

"Don't let them attack you in groups!" He brought his knife up just as one landed on him. The knife pierced it's stomach and Chris tossed it off as he made his over to Jill, ready to fight the Hunters together.

The number of Hunters seemed to grow as there was no end to them. Jill and Chris stood back to back as the emptied their guns into them.

On the opposite side of the room, Leon stood with a knife in one hand and a handgun in the other, eliminating Hunters as they approached.

A loud yell pulled Chris' attention and he saw when a member of his group received a gash across his chest. He fell and he was surrounded by other Hunters who had waited for a prey to fall. That one second he wasn't focused, a Hunter took the chance to jump at him. Chris registered its movement too late and he felt as the sharp talons torn through his vest and slightly into his stomach.

As he fell to the floor, he saw that from the farthest side of the room a door unsealed and opened without a warning. A soldier looked at the door and back to Chris, without a warning he dashed to the door, leaving behind the Hunters and his team.

"Fuck! Jill! Leon! Get to that door! Go!" He clutched his stomach and tried to get up. A few moments later both Leon and Jill were at his side, lifting him, trying to get to the door, shooting a Hunter everytime one got too close for comfort.

They were five feet from the door when a loud crash came from the other side of the door. Out of the shadows came out a large, muscular, disfigured creature. In one hand was the soldier who ran away, impaled on three claws, lifted off six feet off the floor. They stumbled back wanting to get far away from that thing as possible. They didn't know how they were going to make it out of this one. The remaining Hunter began to circle them and the Tyrant stepped closer to them, dropping their dead comrade on the tile. It got closer and was ready to attack. They had no option to move backwards as the Hunters were closing in on them fast.

"Guys. Go. Get out of here." Chris was barely able to get his words out as he was quickly losing blood.

"Hell no." Jill's desperate voice shook as she spoke. There was no way she was leaving him.

The Tyrant got close and lifted his giant claws up and brought them down.

Leon shoved both Chris and Jill out of the way and anticipated the sheer pain of the claws tearing through his torso. The blow never came. Instead, multiple shots rang out from behind the group. They all turned to the back of the room and saw it standing there. The cloaked figure from before. It reloaded both handguns and shot more into the Tyrant.

The Tyrant, however, did not seem to notice the bullets lodging into his body.

"Get him out of here." The voice of the figure, her voice, reached them and they understood.

They grabbed Chris and got were slowly making their way to the exit. A loud roar came from behind them and they saw as the Tyrant slammed into her and sent her flying to the concrete wall near the exit. She hit the wall and slumped to the floor before picking herself up again and pulled out knives and ran towards the Tyrant. She leaped high into the air, too high for a normal human being, and landed on the back of the creature. She drove both knives into the shoulders of it and it tried to throw her off its back.

Leon watched as it reached behind itself and grabbed her and suspended her in front of him, grabbing her by both hands. It lifted her up and raised its clawed hand.

In one quick movement, it sunk it's claws into her and she dangled from the three claws that pierced her abdomen. Her scream, loud and full of pain, pierced his ears, and snapped him back into reality. She was done for. They needed to get out of there before it came after them.

"Jill! We need to leave. Let's go."

"We can't just leave her there! It's going to kill her!"

"Jill it's too late for her. Look at Chris. He's still alive. We have to save him!"

He turned back once more to the Tyrant and saw as the figure slowly pulled out a Desert Eagle from her holster and unloaded the entire clip it the face of the Tyrant.

They watched in awe as the Tyrant slowly fell to the side, along with the cloaked woman.

Both Leon and Jill relaxed when the saw no more movement from the Tyrant. The only thing they heard was the struggles and sniffling of the woman as she laid on her side, claws still piercing her abdomen. They saw as she lifted her feet and pushed away from the dead tyrant, claws sliding out, blood now pooling around her. Her face still remained cover and she lay still on her side.

Leon slowly walked to her, but stopped in his tracks when she lifted a gun to him.

"Stay there. Don't come any closer….Ughh..fuck." She grunted as she sat up. Blood ran down her hands that covered the wounds. "How...how is he?" She coughed out blood after she spoke.

"Leon, he's losing too much blood. We need to get him out of here." He turned around and helped lift Chris up off the floor.

He turned around to thank the person, but she was no longer on the floor but opening the door that had trapped them in the first place.

"Look...I know place where we can get him fixed up. But you have...to leave as soon as possible."

They stared in shock at her, both surprised by the fact that she was trying to help them and that she was still alive and standing, even though she had received three claws through her stomach.

She limped out of the room and turned back to look at them. "Those Hunters were genetically engineered to be more lethal than the last models. He'll bleed out before you get out of here."

Jill and Leon looked at each other, wondering whether they should take their chances.

"Look, you are running out time, _he's_ running out of time. Now are you coming or not?"

"We're coming." Jill answered, seeing how much blood Chris was losing. Leon looked at her, questioning her decision. Avoiding his stared, Jill took a step forward and began following the hooded woman, hoping that she could help.

* * *

It took every muscle, every ounce of self control to stop herself from running to Chris and hold him in her arms. She hoped that the scarf she had wrapped around her mouth muffled her voice enough for them not to recognize it. With each step she took, a sharp pain shot through her stomach and up her spine. She had no idea that there would be a Tyrant there. When she arrived she was ready to see Hunters, but instead she saw Leon shove Jill and her brother out of the way of the Tyrants claws.

She tried her best to walk steady but she could feel herself tripping over her feet and stumbling over nothing. She got to an examination room and made sure it was cleared of both scientists and B. .

"Okay get him in there." The three rushed in and set Chris on a metal table. Claire searched the drawers and found some bandages and some needles and thread. "Here, this all I could find." She laid the things on the table and backed away when Jill got close.

A voice reached her when she finally leaned back on the wall, clutching the wounds that she could feel starting to heal.

"Are you alright?" She turned and saw Leon calm eyes set upon her. She remembered how many times he'd asked her that when the made it out of Raccoon years ago. She simply nodded.

After five minutes, Jill had stitched Chris' wounds the best she could and wrapped it in the bandages. He was starting to regain conscious. His eyes widened when he set them upon her. He reached for his missing gun and looked around for Jill and Leon.

Claire had to stop herself from running to him and tell him that he was alright and that she was there with him.

"Chris. It's okay." Jill stepped into his line of sight and tried to calm him. "She saved us. It's alright we're gonna get out of here."

"You guys should go. Now. Before-"

Chris interrupted her halfway, "before what? You decide to kill us?"

She stood silent. "Before they find you."

"Why help us? We were after you. I'm sure you know that." He was sitting up now. She could see his bandages we already beginning to soak with blood.

"Listen. You need to get out. The others won't let you go so easily. They could use bodies like yours. You think death is the worst thing that could happen to you. I'm telling you to leave, before it's too late." The way her brother was looking at her was full of hate and anger. _If I take off the hood, how would he react? Would he stop looking at me like that, or would it intensify?_

"I'm leaving. I suggest you do the same before the labs own security starts doing a sweep. This time I won't be there to help if a Tyrant comes around." Without another word she slipped out and tried to find her way out.

* * *

Wesker watched as his dear heart slip out from the room her brother lay in. She seemed tense. Maybe it was time to pay her brother a visit. Only until after he knew that his dear heart was still standing with him. He lifted himself off his desk chair and left his office.

* * *

Claire wiped the tears off her face as she walked up the stairs. She had been so close. She went to grab the handle of a metal door but it bust open, hitting her hand. She raised her gun, only to find Wesker on the other end.

"Claire! There you are. I was looking everywhere for you."

He drew her in for a hug. She let her gun drop to her side. He felt her tense up as he drew her in.

"Where were you? I saw you being chased on the monitors but lost you after you jumped off the third floor."

She looked him in the eye and in a split second made a decision that would change everything.

"Yeah just some mercenaries, I guess. I ran into some earlier but I took care of them."

She lied to him. He was losing her.

"Oh well. Those bastards didn't stand a chance now, did they? We should get going." He wrapped an arm around her waist and led her down a corridor until they reached a door that led to a regular looking holding cell. She turned back to look at him but that last thing she felt was a numbing pain in her neck. She tried to keep her eyes open, but nothing was there to keep her from falling into the endless void she had become so used to.

* * *

The second her eyes shut completely, he lifted her up and took her to a secure room. He had gotten her to trust him and he wasn't about to let Chris Redfield take that away from him.

He exited the room and locked the door behind him as he made his way to find Chris.

* * *

"C'mon. We're almost to the elevator."

Chris had regained some of his strength back as soon as the bleeding stopped but still needed help staying on his feet.

"Did-did any of you get a look at that woman's face? Maybe we can ID her on the database, back at the BSSA- fuck." He sighed out as he leaned against the wall next to him.

"Her face was covered the entire time." Leon responded.

They were waiting for the elevator to come down when a loud, arrogant voice had them all reach for their guns.

"She's wonderful isn't she? The perfect partner for someone like me. Not looking to rise to power. Not likely to betray me. Though seeing as you're on your way out, you could say otherwise."

"It was about time you showed up, Wesker. I was starting to think you sent your lackeys to do handle everything for you these days." Chris stood up as straight as he could.

"Well, I had to have some fun myself." He smirked and without a warning lashed out and landed a kick towards Leon, throwing him aside, his back slamming into the wall.

Jill shot out at Wesker, but he was too quick. He grabbed her arm, twisted it before flipping her over, easily tossing her to the side. Chris shot multiple times before Wesker's knee came up to his stomach.

Chris felt a gloved hand constrict around his throat and lifted him into the air.

"I am really getting so _tired_ of running into you like this, _Chris._ Always, interrupting my plans. Always, changing the course of how I planned things. I'm sick of it.

Chris smiled, and choke out a few words be beginning to feel the strain of being strangled, "Maybe sharing your plans would help out, you know make sure I know what not to interrupt."

Wesker slammed Chris into the wall, before replying, "Hmmph. Cute. Reminds me of your sister. You'll have another thing in common with her soon."

He flung Chris to the wall farthest from him, creating crack in the wall. Blood started to drip down from Chris' stomach, onto the tile.

"Chris!" Jill dragged herself to a standing position and shot towards Wesker, more in attempt to get his attention of Chris and onto her. And it worked.

Wesker grabbed her by the collar before slamming her into the wall. "Jill….you were my favorite. Hope you know that. But honestly, now you're starting to become a nuisance." He brought another hand up, and hit the side of her head, knocking her out instantly. He let her drop to the floor like a ragdoll, and Leon got up in a panic.

"Mr. Kennedy. Shouldn't you be off with your little girlfriend in red. I mean I assumed you'd be together considering she completely ignored my order to have have you killed," Leon blinked in confusion, "See? So untrustworthy that one."

He barely had time register the knife that had been flung at him. It flew by his face and a sting flashed across his cheek.

He turned back, only to find Wesker's fist connecting with his jaw and his foot crashing against his knee. Leon heard a crack in his knee that was followed by pain. Before Wesker landed another punch, fires were shot at him again. This time by Chris.

He lay on the floor, propped up by one elbow, blood dripping down his lip.

"Well. You just don't give up do you, Chris?"

He walked over and lifted up Chris, for what he thought was going to be the last time for sure.

"Say goodbye Chris. For this is the last thing they are going to see of you." In his hand, Wesker held up a knife with a familiar logo on it. The three stars within a circle shined in the fluorescent lights as he held it in the air, ready to finally end what started in the mansion years ago.

But, he never got the chance. Instead, he slowly his eyes began to close and his head becoming light, all against his will. The last thing he registered was a numb feeling in his neck.

* * *

It was dark. She knew what had happened. She had felt that cool numbness too many times before to not recognize it. Her only question, was why?

 _He knows. He went after them. What else?_

There was no way that Wesker would let them leave alive if he knew they were here, and had made contact with her, even if they didn't know it was her.

She had to get up. This was on her. But the more she tried to lift herself, the more she felt being dragged down. She had to, no _needed_ to get up. She imagined herself waking up to find Chris body, lifeless and cold.

She imagined Leon, his eyes no longer looking at her with the particular sadness and yet content emotion in them.

She fought. Long and hard, until finally her eyes flew open, stinging immediately as the bright light hit them.

She sat up quickly and fell off the table, her body still weak from the anesthetic running through her veins.

She stood up, heavily supported by the wall, and looked around. Her weapons lay on the counter and she took them all, hoping she won't need them. One last thing caught her eye before she turned around to leave. A syringe gleamed under the lights. She checked the label and hesitantly stuck the syringe in her coat pocket. It wasn't fair. But then again, nothing was.

Before she left the room, she grabbed a piece of paper off the counter, hastily scribbled a message, and kissed it, leaving the scarlet print of her lips, and placed it in his briefcase. As she began to walk out, she noticed his jacket slung over the desk chair. She grabbed it and buried her face into it, taking in one last whiff of how he smelled. She dropped it back on the chair, before pulling her hood over her face and walked out into the endless halls.

* * *

It wasn't long before she both heard and smelled the fighting that was happening between Wesker and her friends. She began sprinting as quick as she could the second she smelled blood.

She turned the corner and her eyes laid upon Wesker, one hand wrapped around Chris' throat, and her old STARS dagger that Chris had given her years ago, in the other. It was pointed directly at his chest. He was no way in he going to survive that, especially with his current injuries.

With his back turned to her, she began to walk. One foot in front of the other. She walked past unconscious Jill on the floor, Leon and his oddly bent arm, and reached into her pocket. She lifted the syringe and slowly sunk it into his neck. She pushed the plunger down, surprised he hadn't turned around immediately and smashed her into the wall.

Slowly, Chris slipped from his grasp and slammed onto the tiles below, unmoving. Wesker slowly began to fall, but she lowered him as gently as she could, which wasn't much, seeing as how heavy he was.

She fell to her knees as his limp body thumped onto the floor, his head on her lap. His face looked peaceful, a look she'd seen only once.

She laid his head onto the floor and slid over to her brother who laid unmoving.

"Chris…." She pulled his head onto his lap and brushed his hair back. His breathing was shallow and his wounds were bleeding again.

"Im..soo..sorry this happened to you…" her tears began to fall onto his face.

From behind her, she heard a yell, directed towards her. "Get the _fuck_ away from him!" A gun cocked and she felt the barrel of a gun pressed to the back of her head.

It was Leon. "Move. Stand up. Put your hands behind your back."

"No.I won't." Her voice shook as she muttered out her words, focusing on her brother's shallow breathing.

"I said-" Before Leon could finish his sentence, the sound of loud boots hitting the tile began to echo down the hall. "Shit." Leon ran over to Jill, who was now starting to remain consciousness. "Jill, come get up, we need to leave."

Only seconds passed before there was a wall of armed guards aiming their guns at them.

"Leon."

From behind him, a familiar voice spoke to him. When he looked at the figure behind him, he recognized the kind features of the face that he had become so used to since that day in Raccoon City. A face that had given him hope, one whose face shouldn't have been surrounded by raven black hair, but by the red that he had reminded him of the sarcastic and freeing person he had once new. But this face now began to change, blossoming with anger and sadness, it was almost as if it wasn't the same person. The once blue iris' now blazed a fiery red.

"Claire?" She saw in slow motion as a group of guards neared them.

"Leon, get them out of here. Please. I'll explain later. But get them out of here."

From the far end of the hall, a man stepped out from the crowd, he smirked a familiar, evil grin.

"Well, isn't this a nice reunion. I bet he's surprised to see you here, and fighting for the opposite side."

"Rodgers, you son of a bitch, do you ever get tired of ruining moments? It's really starting to piss me off." "Ms. Redfield. Just end them quickly before _he_ wakes up and does it for you. Or I'll be happy to oblige." He took a step closer and she instantly drew her two handguns, triggering the wall of weapons behind him to do the same.

"You stay the fuck away from them."

"Such a shame. I knew you didn't have it in you. I always suggested we just stuck you in a tank to save us time, but he saw something in you. Unfortunately now, his experiment will have to got to waste."

Rodgers raised up his own gun, and she smiled. _Shoot me. I'll show how much of an experiment I am._

A gunshot rang out and she felt no pain whatsoever. Unfortunately, that was because it had met its mark in the shoulder of the government agent behind her. He yelled out in pain as he crashed to the floor.

"Yeah, Rodgers…"

"Yes, Ms. Redfield?"

"You have just made the worst mistake in your life." She spun quickly, flinging her overcoat towards the crowd, and ran up the side of the wall, and leaped toward the group, two long daggers in hand.

She landed on top of one soldier and sunk her knife into his chest, not stopping to look as her other daggers slashed and injured countless other by the second. When her heels finally struck the tiled floor, she spun around and roughly placed her bloodied dagger under his chin, tilting him so he looked down at her.

"Give me one good reason as to why I shouldn't turn your brain into scrambled egg and leave you here to be turned into a tyrant."

He seemed amused by her. "Can't think of one."

She smirked at his response, "Very well then." She did a quick spin, her knife slicing across his chest before she flipped the knife and buried into the left side of his head. She didn't look back as his body slumped to the ground. She flung her knife at a still moving body as she walked back to Leon, who stared wide-eyed at her.

His voice was shaky as he spoke, "I held your hand as you bled to death….I- No you. You are a clone. Is that it?" He was clutching his shoulder and slowing dragging himself towards the wall.

"I can't explain right now, Leon. Okay? We need to all get out of here, first okay? If he wakes up, we won't be able to stop him." She reached out and brushed some hair away from his eye. She didn't know what she expected, but it certainly wasn't the flinching Leon did away from her hand. backing away from her touch; she couldn't help but feel terrible.

"No. I'm not. Please. I- It's you said. When you kneeled next to me. You place your hand under my chin and whispered- you said-you said you needed me,"

His eyes widened as he recalled that moment.

"Now. I need you." He stayed silent.

"Leon? What's going on?" From behind Claire, Jill was getting to her feet. She sprang to her feet at the sight of his wound, completely ignoring the fact that the mysterious figure was standing above him.

"Turn to her. Show her who you are. If she still trusts you, then I will too."

"Leon..what are you-is it Ada?"

Claire turned around and responded, "Even better." She gave a half smile, attempting to hide the fact that she was scared shitless.

Jill's faced whitened. She stayed silent.

"Look please just- You all need to leave. Now. Whatever I drugged him with won't keep him last forever. It didn't take me long and I swear that he won't stay under much longer. Let me just help you."

JIll expression was unreadable.

"Leon, get on your feet. Whether she's lying or not, we don't have much time. Grab Chris.

Claire moved to help get Leon to his feet but he ignored her hand. Jill was already at Chris' side, trying to stop his bleeding as quickly as she could before they'd begin lo lift him. Claire rushed and got the elevator,

When the three entered, they looked back and expected Claire to step into with them, but instead she stayed out.

"I'll have to catch up with you guys later. If they see me, it won't go well for either of us," she took one last look at her brother, his bloodied body armor and his holsters emptied. "Be careful out there. There shouldn't be any B. above this floor but still. Take care."

Emotion flashed behind Leon's eyes and his lips parted, ready to speak, but the elevator doors began to close. Instead, he nodded as he took one last look into the eyes of the one he thought he had failed. Maybe he had.

The second the doors closed, Leon turned to Jill.

"What the hell was that? How can she be alive? How come you're not freaking out about this!? She was dead?! We held her as she bled out!"

"Leon...right now, Chris is all I care about. We can deal with….Claire...later. For all we know, it's not her. It's a clone. Made to get to Chris. If we get- When we get out of here, not a word of this to Chris. Understand? He's barely starting to recover from losing her. This will only make it worse."

"Jill.."

"Leon...I mean it. We need to look into this first."

"Fine…Jill what if it's really her?"

Jill paused and looked straight ahead, ready to get out of this damn laboratory, "Then she has some major explaining to do.

* * *

The second the doors shut, she sprinted down the corridor, following the multiple exit signs. She got to the top where the last of the BSAA members were starting to clear out and hide behind a pillar of the building. Despite the darkness, she could see where Chris was being placed on a gurney and Jill hopped into the ambulance. Leon stood to the side at a paramedics station where his arm was being wrapped from the gunshot Rodgers had inflicted. The chilly wind blew and Claire could smell blood lingering in the air. When everyone began to clear out, she was able to pick Leon out of the crowd, getting ready to get into his 1967 Ford Mustang. It wasn't until everyone packed up and left when Leon began to drive out of the parking lot.

Claire dashed out from behind the pillar and began to run after the car, quickly catching up. _It's cool, you're fine. You've done this before._ When she was right behind it, she jumped, landing on the roof and slipped into the open window. "

"Holy shit!" Leon's eyes widened and he slammed on the brakes. Claire immediately grabbed the handle above the window. Despite using her strength to hold on, she still slammed into the dashboard.

"Claire! What the fuck are you doing?! Are you insane!?"

"No. Just worried. Now drive." When he didn't immediately gas it, she looked over to him with raised eyebrows. "Are you going to drive or do I need to move over and drive for you?"

"OH I'M SORRY! I'm not used to people jumping into my car while I'm going 60 down a freaking street, Claire!"

"Don't sass me, Kennedy. Know get to the hospital."

Without another word, he continued driving. She rolled her window down all the way, letting the cool breeze surround her, like she used to when she'd go out with Leon. She immediately grabbed her phone as the silence was starting to be too much for her. She saw Leon tense up when she moved. _It's normal for him to be tense. He doesn't trust me...Leon doesn't trust me._ She couldn't help but feel hurt. She suddenly remembered, _Crap, he can track my phone!_ She took out the microchip, cracked it, and tossed it out the window. She found her thoughts slowly drifting towards Wesker. Had he woken up by now? What was he thinking?

Seconds later they pulled into the parking lot of the hospital. She quickly got out, not waiting a moment to see how Chris was doing.

"Claire wait," She turned to Leon before shutting the door behind her.

"Your...outfit." She looked down at her torn vest and bloodied coat. Despite the outfit being black, the red was slightly visible due to the huge amounts of it.

"Crap." She shrugged off her long coat and tore her vest off, leaving her in a black tank top. Still it wasn't enough. "Leon, pop open your trunk. I'm going to grab that spare jacket I left in your car after Rockfort." A small spark passed Leon's eyes before he popped open the trunk. She pulled out a long sleeve red coat. She shrugged it on and then turned to Leon, who was watching her with careful eyes. "Okay. That should be better. Let's go." They both began walking to the entrance of the hospital. Claire's head began to ache as she walked into the rush of madness that awaited past the double glass doors. Luckily Leon was there.

* * *

She saw her approach the front desk from far away. Jill barely recognized Claire, her bright red hair no longer there to easily spot her from a crowd. She watched as she talked to the desk clerk, only to be turned away. Jill had made sure no one would be allowed to see Chris. Not even family, She didn't trust this 'Claire'. She was almost 100% sure she was a clone, though Leon seemed a little more convinced than she did. Then again, he had soft spot for Claire.

She saw Claire walk away disappointed and took a seat in the waiting room. Jill needed more time to think about this. She wasn't sure about this 'Claire'. She wasn't about to take any chances. Jill looked behind her and looked at Chris. With one last look at Chris, she went out, and got ready to talk to Claire.

Claire and Leon stood up as Jill got close.

"How is he?Why can't we see him?"

"He's doing fine. Because if I remember correctly, about 5 months ago, I remember you lying in the snow bleeding to death as your brother here swore to destroy the same man _you_ now seem to be currently working for." Her hushed voice only harshed the words coming out of her mouth. "Now I want you out of here. If you really _care_ for Chris, you'll leave. In his condition, we don't know how he'll react to see the dead walking. Now. Please. Just go."

Jill could see the tears beginning to pool in Claire's eyes, and for a moment she was sure it was her, but that feeling was gone as quickly as it came when she remembered seeing that tall dark figure release a flash grenade from her hand, scattering them before they continued the chase for her.

Claire took a deep breath and responded, trying hard to keep her voice from shaking, "Fine. If-uhhh- you think that would be best. I'll go, just umm..let me know..please when he wakes up."

With that, she turned around and walked towards the exit, leaving Leon behind with Jill.

Leon stared at Jill as Claire walked away. "That was harsh."

"Oh I'm sorry for thinking about Chris' current condition and how this might affect him"

"Chris is a big boy, Jill. He can handle it."

"Are you sure about that Leon? Because if I remember correctly, you weren't there with us after she 'died'. Chris was a mess. You fall too easily for pretty faces that you think you know, Leon."

"Okay one. You need to stop remembering things. And second, I know Claire. This feels like it's _her._ The same one from fives months ago."

"Leon, what if she was already changed five months ago? What if we lost her the day she was taken? Plus, if you know her so well, don't you think she would have fought me just now? In order to see Chris? She was headstrong and stubborn. This person doesn't even to seem to be that."

* * *

 **Claire walked towards the front of the hospital and the took and immediate right and went straight into the locker rooms. Seeing as how it was empty, she took out a lockpick and broke into a locker. She managed to find a pair of scrubs and shoes. She slipped them on and grabbed a surgical mask before tying up her hair and walking back towards Chris' room. There was no way she was leaving this hospital before seeing Chris.** ** _So damn stubborn._** **She could imagine Chris telling her that as she slipped on the mask and walked up the hall, passing Leon who was sitting in the waiting area still, looking down at his stood near the desk closest to Chris' room and waited for Jill to leave. Within five minutes, Jill slipped out of the room and headed towards the cafeteria.** ** _Good, that should give us some time._** **She slipped into Chris' room and quickly drew the curtains closed and closed the door. She took off the mask and sat next to him. She watched him for a few moments taking in how worn out he looked. Tears began to fall from her eyes. She should've gotten there earlier. He didn't have to be so hurt.**

"Chris. I am so sorry. I should've been there to help you. I shouldn't have been there with them, I should've been with you. Please forgive me." She held his hand, and in an instant his eyes flew open, his eyes locked on her. A small gasp escaped her mouth and she dropped his hand before backing away slowly. His eyes were filled with confusion and betrayal, a look she was sure she would never forget. It was then that Jill walked in, coffee in hand, she saw Claire and then turned and saw Chris staring right at her..

"Claire? What the fuck? I told you to stay away." Jill's anger was quickly filled with worry as Chris' breathing began to speed up and he heart monitor was going crazy.

"Claire, go. Get out of here!" Claire didn't wait. She slipped out right as the doctors rushed in and began to check Chris and eventually they put him under to stop him from having a heart attack. As she rushed back, Leon saw her and grabbed her arm, stopping her from entering the locker room.

"Claire what happened!?"

"He saw me. Leon, he saw _me_ and had some sort of panic attack," His eyes softened as he noticed the tears falling from her eyes. "I- I need to get out of here. Jill was right. I shouldn't be here. He's hurt enough as it is, I'll just makes things worse. Leon I need to get out of here! I hate to ask but I don't have any money for a cab, can you sp-" He grabbed both her shoulders and locked eyes with her.

"Claire look at me. Calm down, okay? He's going to be fine. I'll drive you to your apartment and we'll see where things go from there okay?"

"Okay. Thank you, Leon. I appreciate it."

With that, they walked out of the hospital and got into his car. She looked at the hospital from the mirror and watched as it faded into the night, her mind not sure on what to be focusing on. The man she betrayed or her only brother who was probably dying at this moment because she made the wrong choice five months ago. She tried to make herself sleep, but her brain refused. It was a bittersweet moment when she realized how badly she wanted to feel that familiar numb pain on her neck that was usually followed with a peaceful state of nothing.


	20. Reconciliation

He saw _her._ He saw Claire. His heart began to race and before he knew it she was gone. His focus was now solely on the rush of movement around him and the wide set of panic that had begun to sink into his brain. He tried to make sense of the all that was happening but before he knew it, he began to sink into a deep sleep. Before his eyes closed, Chris could make out Jill's figure in the corner of the room. At least she was there.

He didn't know how long he had been out. He tried to sit up and immediately regretted it when he felt as his head began to spin. Jill quickly sat up and walked over to him, arms crossed at her chest.

"How are you feeling? Do you need water?" She sat at the edge if the bed and carefully grabbed his hand and she sat closer.

"Yeah. I'm fine. I just feel dizzy." She grabbed the small plastic cup and filled it with water. She handed it to him and sat watching him.

"You've been out for a day. I was scared thinking you might not wake up."

"I'm fine now. Just a small headache." He sat rubbing his temples before he spoke again."It's funny. Yesterday, when I woke up, the nurse- she um, I guess she got near me and when I opened my eyes, I thought I saw Claire. For a second I thought maybe I was finally going to see her again."

Jill looked away when Claire was mentioned, her eyes suddenly sad. And he noticed.

"What? Why do you look like that?"

"Chris. Something happened when you were out at the laboratory."

He looked at, eyebrow raised.

"What? Jill what is it?" She frowned and slowly Chris' neutral look began to fade into worry. She grabbed his hand and was ready to tell him what happened while he had been knocked out.

* * *

When she opened the car door, Claire stepped out onto the unfamiliar pavement of Leon's new neighborhood. It was a quiet suburban area, not far from the city that never seemed to sleep. The house she stood in front of was modern looking. She turned back to Leon just as he raised a small remote in his hand. The silence of the street was broken by the sound of a garage door opening. The only things visible in the garage were a tool stand, a car, and a figure underneath a thick tarp. Leon walked over to it and before throwing off the tarp, turned back to Claire.

"This is yours." He said as he tossed off the tarp. Underneath it was Claire's red Harley Davidson iron 883.

"Oh my god, Leon." She walked over to it and ran her hand over the handles before mounting the bike. "You had it all this time?"

He smiled lazily and nodded. "I tuned it up too. The gearbox was starting to wear down."

Claire smiled that smile that he'd come to love since that day in Raccoon City. The wide smile that made her eyes light up and seemed to slow all the movement around them; it made him feel as though everything would be okay. She got off the bike and made her way over, arms opened wide, pulling him in for a hug. He hugged her tight, even as she asked why he had kept it.

He didn't let go even when he responded with a sigh, "It felt like the right thing to do. It was the part of you kept you alive, while you were gone." His embrace was tightened around her and his voice was hollow. Her smile quickly faded as she was hit with guilt that was buried deep in her stomach. She pulled away and looked up at Leon, his eyes shiny and filled with sadness.

"Leon…."

"I just want to know why? You stayed away for so long. Why you left in the middle of the night in the first place is the bigger question. And, going with Ada? Or Wesker even? I'll never understand that. And those files Ada showed me-"

"Wait. Leon. What files?" Now Claire was standing away from Leon, the golden flecks in her eyes becoming brighter as Ada was mentioned.

"She gave me a folder with information on what had happened to you. It said that your body contained some virus and they were testing on it, but it failed."

"Hmph. Anything that bitch says I don't trust. Especially now." Leon looked at her questioningly.

"It's a long story Leon. Way too long." He smirked and looked down at his empty wrist, pulling back on his sweater sleeve.

"Well then it's a good thing we have plenty of time."

* * *

 _Weak._ Weak is what he was if wasn't able to bring himself out of the unconscious state he had been in, is what he thought when he awoke, his face on the cold, hard tile of the lab, the bright lights blinding him until his eyes adjusted to it, only to find two semi-auto machine guns pointed at him. He saw the badges on their torsos, _BSAA._ He lifted up his hands in defeat and waited until they lowered their guard in order to pull them face first into the tile, which he did. Hearing the sound of a cracking nose confirmed that they probably wouldn't be coming after him for some time. Not yet questioning what happened during his encounter with Chris, he quickly got up and dashed down the security hall to retrieve his stuff and see what the hell happened. He hoped Claire was safe in the room he had kept her in.

He busted open the door and his heart skipped a beat when he saw that the table in the center laid empty. Had they gotten her? He clenched and unclenched his gloved hands and tried to calm himself as he opened his laptop and checked the security cameras to see where they had taken her. He was surprised to see the exact moment he left her alone, not 10 minutes later, Claire walked out on her own, following his same footsteps. "No. It can't be." He switched the recording to the camera near the elevator where he had confronted Chris. He watched the moment Claire emerged slowly from behind him and sunk the needle into his neck. He saw when she lowered him then immediately turn to Chris. " _The perfect partner for someone like me. Not looking to rise to power. Not likely to betray me."_ The words themselves seemed to taunt him. He snapped the laptop shut and took a deep breath before sweeping everything off the desk, papers now scattered all over the floor. He smashed his fist into the mirror that was the wall separating it from another room. He kept asking himself where he went wrong. He had he not made her happy? No. He had. The connection between the two Redfields was obviously too strong sever. Maybe it wasn't just the brother keeping his goddess from being with him. Maybe it was also the government agent that seemed to resurface every chance he got. Wesker picked up his laptop and research papers before he grabbed the door handle and began to walk towards the exit, his mood ruined beyond thought.

* * *

"Chris! Please try to relax! Stop you need to rest!" JIll tried her best to keep Chris from yanking out his IVs and keep him in the hospital bed but was defeated by the size difference. He sat up, threw his legs over the side of the bed and proceeded to grab a new set of clothes that had been laid out on the table looking out the window. "Listen Chris. We don't even know if it's really her! Please listen to me!"

Chris was already pulling his pants up when he spoke, "Jill. I don't care. I need to know. If there's a chance that it is, I need to go and find her."

"What if it isn't? Can you stop to think about this?! What if it isn't? She can be a clone! She was with Wesker. It could be his plan to use Claire as a way to finally get you." He turned back to look at her just as he finished buttoning his shirt.

"Then in that case, I'll put her out of her misery, because there is no way in hell that I'm letting some clone working for _Wesker_ take my sister's face and use it to spread exactly what got her into this mess the first place." He had finished tying his shoes by then and Jill just shook her head, passing him the discharge papers.

"You're leaving here against doctor's order Chris. For someone who-"

"Someone that was the only family I had left. Someone I swore to protect. Someone I failed. I need to make sure." He quickly signed the papers and rushed towards the door, noticeably limping. When he looked back at Jill he asked, "Well are you coming?", before turning and walked to turn in the papers.

"Dammit Chris. Don't you understand I can't stand to see you hurt again.", she muttered to herself. She wasn't talking about his physical injuries.

* * *

"And that's when I saw Wesker again. I thought Ada had set me up. Thought she was trying to get rid of out she just didn't know, he'd been there trying establish some kind of research with the company. I was the one who helped Chris and Jill defeat the prisoner there who had become a B.O.W." Claire looked up from her glass of water every once in awhile to take a look at Leon's expression, seeing if it changed as she continued to tell him about how she ended up at the lab with Wesker.

" After that, I tried running but he was too quick. He told me he had no intention of killing or taking me hostage. I tried fighting back but my strength wouldn't kick in. He was as confused as I was. He offered to find out what was wrong and I accepted."

"And that's how you ended up at the lab?" Leon grey eyes never left her face for a second as she spoke.

"Yeah. Ada was now angry because I left with Wesker. Wesker disliked Ada because she couldn't exactly follow orders and somehow we ended up with common enemies. Then that's when you guys came in and well, here we are." She looked up at him and his expression had remained the same the entire time, sad but hanging on to every word she said. She didn't like lying to Leon, but she knew that some things that happened between her and Wesker had to remain secret.

Though she felt as Leon might understand, seeing as how he'd basically been head over heels for Ada. Her thinking was interrupted by the sound of of Leon's phone ringing. Claire could see from the contact picture from where she was sitting. She recognized the ruffle of brown followed by the rare grin her brother showed not very often.

"Hello. Jill? Yeah she's here. What do you mean he's on his way?" He turned back to look at Claire, who was watching with wide eyes. "Okay. I'll keep her here."

"What happened? He should still be in the hospital!" Leon furrowed his brows, as he was just about to break the news to Claire.

"How'd you know Chris got out of the hospital?"

"The-um- virus improved my senses, including hearing."

"Remind me not to _release_ any particular gas around you then."

Claire let out a laugh, happy to see that nothing had changed between the two.

"I need to go though. I- I can't see him."

"Wait. What!? No! You can't! He already knows. They're on their way now." He had already moved over to block her exit. She stood there eyes wide and scared.

"No Leon please. I need to go. I can't look at him after what I've put him though."

"Look. He misses you Claire. He needs this."

"Leon. I _left him._ I _chose_ to go with Ada. I can't look him in the eye after what I've put him through."

"Claire. It's not your fault. You were scared. You didn't know what you were doing. Chris will understand." He grabbed her arm as he spoke, making sure she didn't go anywhere.

"And if he doesn't think it's me? I mean Jill couldn't even trust me" She looked up at him, the gold flecks in her eyes intensifying.

"He's your brother. If I knew it was you, he'll know."

* * *

The moment Chris stepped on the mat outside Leon's door, he felt a cold rush of air pass through his body. He looked down at his hands once before reaching for the doorknob but stopping half-way.

"Chris?" Jill hugged herself as she tilted her head to take a look at Chris' face.

"I can't, Jill. What if I can't bring myself to-" He shut his eyes and took a deep breath as he let his hand fall on the doorknob and twisted it down, opening the door. The first thing he saw in the apartment was Leon. The second thing was the red jacket the hung on the couch. He immediately recognized it as his sister's. Leon stood up and pointed to the sliding doors that lead to the patio.

"She went outside when she heard you arrive."

Chris nodded his head and walked toward the patio, leaving Jill behind. He looked at Jill once more before walking out, her eyes told him that she was as scared as he was.

He stepped out into the patio and he saw a figure, facing away from him, standing at the edge of the pool. He saw the bloodied black tank top. His heart was racing and nearly skipped a beat when the figure turned around, revealing the face of of the his sister. Except, this wasn't. His sister didn't have black hair. His sister's eyes were a clear blue; her eyes had flecks of gold.

"Chris-" Before she finished the sentence, Chris had his hands around her throat and slammed her against the nearest wall. His eyes were wide with anger and hate.

She was too surprised to fight back, and in reality, she didn't know whether she could actually fight back against him. He was all she had left and she could not, _would not_ do anything to hurt him more than she already had. It more of the action that hurt her. Her brother never had physically attacked her in any serious way. She stood there, hands grabbing his and her eyes showing off every fiber of fear that she had, tears starting to roll onto her cheek.

Chris stared into her eyes and was suddenly reminded of the first and last time he had yelled at his sister. She had shrunk the same way and her eyes spilled tears the same way she did now. It was the way she looked at her with sense of betrayal and fear. He let her go and she stood there, eyes still wide and tears now flowing steadily. He lifted his hand to her cheek before pulling her in for an embrace that had been long overdue.

"The last time I did that, I swore I'd never do it again." Chris hugged her tightly and rested his chin on top of her head.

"You also got me a beer." She laughed into chest, feeling the familiar gesture of his head on top of hers. She let her tears fall and she broke down. She looked up at him and tried smiling but she couldn't stop crying.

"I- I am so sorry Chris. I didn't mean to- hurt you. I didn't mean for any if this it happen." Her words kept getting cut off by her breaths and sobs.

"It's okay, Claire. We are both here now. You're safe. You're alive. That's all that matters."

"I- I owe you an explanation, Chris. Let me tell you everything, please." _Almost everything._

He nodded and guided her into the house with the rest of those he called his family.

* * *

The city streets were empty despite it being the weekend. As he drove, his hands were tight around the steering wheel and he constantly clutched and unclutched it. This is not the he had things planned out. Claire was supposed to be seated next to him, on their way back to his apartment. She most likely was with her brother now and a government agent snuggled up to her side.

He slammed on the breaks when he realized that he was about to smash his car into the wall of the parking garage. His plan wasn't halfway finished and he still needed Claire. He was going to get her back, eventually. It was time to send a message, make her understand that he was waiting for her to return to him. He got out of the car and went upstairs, ready to make his move.

* * *

Both Chris and Jill left a few hours after she had explained to them everything she had told Leon. Jill still looked at Claire the was she had when she first revealed her face to them. They had left soon after deciding that Claire would stay with Leon for a while until she got settled back into the world she spent so much time away from. Heeding Chris' 'don't-touch-her' warning, Leon showed Claire the spare bedroom.

Before she could enter, she had and idea. "Leon? What time is it?"

"Two-thirty in the morning, Claire. Way past our bedtime. Why?" She smirked at him and he got the message.

A few moments later, Claire sat mounted on what she had been wanting for a long time.

"Oh yeahh. Definitely been waiting for this for too long." She gently stroked her motorcycle and she heard the familiar roar of the engine.

"You ready?" She turned to look back at the government agent, his own bike ready to be riden.

"Hell yeah." They both drove out into the chilly air of the night.

Leon didn't need to see her face to tell that Claire was smiling.

When the returned to Leon's house, they said goodnight and went their ways to theirs beds. She shut the door behind her and looked unto the bed. She saw something on it, shining with the light of the moonlight. She turned on the light and froze the instant she saw the entire object. She picked it up by the silver chain and lifted the red gemstone to the light, as if to make sure it was really there. On the bed was a note along with a key. She lifted it and read.

 _For when you are ready to return home, dear heart. Don't stray for too long -W_

* * *

 _ **Hey guyss! So this is the official end of this part! I do plan on writing a second part but this time with more planning, as this one I just wrote as I went along and I feel that had a negative effect to the story. :/ It might be a while, before I upload the next part but I will finish this story, I promise! I will be also be writing some other stories as I have some ideas I want to put into play. :) I want to thank all you guys for being so awesome and for the reviews ya'll leave. I love reading them 3 Thank you all for sticking around up to this part. I keep on writing for you! Don't forget that! Also, I will be updating some of the past chapters because I realized what writing 3 am gets you. Love you all! See you soon. -A**_


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